Soldiers deployed on the standing SA National Defence Force (SANDF) border tasking Operation Corona had a busy time on Lesotho’s national boundaries with South Africa in the third month of 2025, intercepting 1 331 Basuto seemingly intent on making their way to Mzansi.
The illegal immigrants were handed to police and Department of Home Affairs (DHA) officials by soldiers deployed on Lesotho’s borders with the Eastern Cape and Free State provinces in March. By comparison, Operation Corona “netted” 71 Basuto in February and 64 in January patrolling and observing the same borders.
The SANDF witnessed an increase in the number of illegal immigrants in March: 56 from Botswana (up from six in February); 673 from Mozambique (up from February’s 103) and 704 from Zimbabwe (compared to 108 in February), according to Joint Operations tactical headquarters statistics.
All told the 15 companies from regular and reserve infantry units, as well as 10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment, handed 2 764 illegal immigrants to police and DHA officials for further action and probable deportation.
The value of narcotics confiscated from drug mules and smugglers in March was R2.4 million, well up on the R160 000 seized in February and R2.27 million recorded in January. The bulk of the confiscated narcotics – R2.3 million – was from Mozambique and confiscated in and along the Mpumalanga/Mozambique border. Soldiers working the Eswatini and KwaZulu-Natal borders with South Africa’s eastern neighbour relieved drug smugglers of R13 398 worth of product, not specified by the Joint Operations Division but thought to be mostly dagga. The only other narcotics confiscation in March was on the North West/Botswana border where R80 000 worth was put into police safekeeping rather than users’ pockets and handbags.
Contraband from Lesotho, Mozambique and Zimbabwe with a total value of R2.6 million was taken from smugglers attempting entry illegally to South Africa across international borders with the Eastern Cape, Eswatini, Free State, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
Notable confiscations and recoveries on the Botswana/North West border in March include the recovery of “cattle and small stock” valued at R485 550, stolen vehicles worth R774 298 and eight “criminal” arrests (the total number of criminals arrested by the SANDF in March was 32).
In total, more than R2.5 million worth of livestock was impounded in March, including R2 million along the Free State border with Lesotho.
Stolen vehicle recoveries were up from February, totalling nearly R7 million in value, up from the R653 488 worth of vehicles reported recovered for February.
Other notable seizures by soldiers on border protection duty in March included unspecified “precious metals” valued at R462 588 and weapons to the value of R67 500, confiscated along the Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal borders respectively.
