All three South African government agencies committed to border protection and security recently combined to intercept more than R1.4 million in cash from Basotho illegals at a routine vehicle checkpoint.
Apart from recovering the large amount of South African currency at the Qacha’s Nek port of entry on 25 June, border guards from the Border Management Authority (BMA) as well as police attached to the SA Police Service (SAPS) specialist border security unit and 7 SA Infantry (SAI) Battalion soldiers at the vehicle checkpoint established that four of five Basotho in a suspect vehicle were on the “declared undesirable” list and banned from entering South Africa.
They were searched and found to be in possession of concealed South African currency worth R1 480 050.
“The four who did not have the requisite documents were arrested for being in South Africa illegally and a case was opened. The money, which was counted and underwent counterfeit verifications, was then deposited into the state bank account pending further investigations on the matter,” the BMA is reported as saying of the 25 June bust.
The checkpoint was mounted between the Qacha’s Nek port of entry on the road to Maluti/Matatiele, Captain Tamsanqa Hoyi of Joint Tactical Headquarters Eastern Cape reports. Soldiers from Alpha Section, Platoon 2 of the Phalaborwa unit’s Alpha Company were manning the checkpoint along with border guards, police as well as Lesotho police in a joint operation.
