After the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) took us for a day patrol along the eastern side of the Beit Bridge border area, we met up with members of 10 Anti Air Regiment (10 AA) in the evening of 29 November. Before mounting on the convoy of Toyota Land Cruiser Troop Packs, we were given a short but serious briefing from our escorts.
At nightfall, activity along the border picks up, with goods smuggled in large quantities, from cigarettes to cars, and dagga. The area we would be patrolling was void of formal settlements on either side, which meant the area lacked any lighting or light pollution. This results in a level of darkness which affords the smugglers with ample cover to go about their business.
“Ready for some action?” one corporal remarked. I inquired in response, in jest, about the likelihood of some shots being fired at us. “It’ll make for a better story,” I added, before I was reminded that this patrol was carefully planned. “No, they’ll see our headlights as we approach and duck back across,” the corporal said.
With the sun beginning to dip, we mounted up and sped down the highway to the border. As we approached Beit Bridge, the area showed no signs of quieting, with the bridge being the only crossing point between South Africa and Zimbabwe that is open 24 hours a day. At least, the only legal one.
We turned westwards just before the bridge, driving along the dusty road that runs parallel to the patchy barbed wire fence meant to enforce the buffer zone. Wondering what we were in for, we didn’t have to wait long to find out. Several hundred metres down the road, the lead vehicle spotted a many climbing through a gap in the fence. As the convoy made an abrupt stop, the man backtracked through the gap and took off.
We dismounted and followed two soldiers from the lead vehicle through the gap, along a worn path, littered with cigarette packets and cough syrup bottles. As we made our way through the rocky path, we passed a small fire, with the soldiers in front of me remarking that a group must have just left. Suddenly, the two soldiers took off in a sprint, and so we followed.
Dashing between rocks and piles of trash, the soldiers approached a group of migrants who proceeded to disperse in several directions towards the river, attempting to evade being detained. “Stop running!” yelled one of the soldiers, as the other caught up to an elderly woman, grabbing her by the arm. As the rest of the platoon caught up, many of the migrants had made their way back across the river, and the chaos of the moment dissipated. The two soldiers managed to detain two women, one of whom was pregnant, and a young child, who had been left behind by his mother. He looked at us with teary eyes, confused as to what was happening around him.
A few metres ahead, on the bank of the river, soldiers discovered a makeshift bridge. Built with sandbags and pieces of wood, it spanned approximately twelve metres, just far enough to make it over the water to no-man’s land. Although this stretch of the river is not dry, the water level is relatively low and has a slow current. With the sun casting a calm orange light across the horizon, we looked across the river, which was in a flurry of activity, with hundreds of people gathering on the bank starring back at us.
We made our way back to the convoy, and mounted up into the Troop Packs once again. Military Police (MP) vehicles arrived to the detain the migrants as we sped off again, into the darkness. Soon after, the pitch-black night arrived, with our convoy’s headlights standing out, the only source of light visible on the South African side.
After a long and bumpy ride, we reached a notorious crossing point, completely blanketed in darkness, with no signs of life. This was until we reached the river. Unlike the other locations visited, which had steep embankments, this location was relatively flat with trees lining the opposing sides. Several soldiers, equipped with flashlights, illuminated the opposite side, revealing a handful of shacks and a group of individuals, notorious “destabilisers.”
The riverbed in front of us was filled with tire tracks, from both donkey carts and vehicles, smuggled across both ways. As we stood in the riverbed, the smugglers on the Zimbabwean side began taunting us, particularly the soldiers.
“They’re swearing at us,” said one of the soldiers standing beside us, “hulle gaan kak,” he muttered, shaking his head. A general sense of frustration was on display, as the platoon stood along the bank, gazing across at the other side. Curious as to the reality of the situation, I turned to one of the corporals and asked what their course of action would have been if we had not been present. In response, he chuckled and shook his head, “let’s just say, they wouldn’t be shouting,” he said, adding “they’re worse than Al Qaeda, what they do to people.” Although no one would give any details or evidence, several soldiers suggested the Goma gomas intimidate migrants through violence, and those who refuse to pay to cross are beaten and maimed.
South Africa’s borders have become a space for exploitation, by smugglers, criminals, but also by those struggling to survive. The location of a constant struggle, as soldiers attempt to secure national borders, they are not afforded the appropriate resources, and many of those we spoke to expressed feelings of “fighting with one hand behind their back.” Although one soldier revealed the platoon did have access to night vision goggles, this was only for targeted foot patrols, and none were present during our tour.
When coming across migrants, soldiers must wait for MPs to affect arrests, and when coming across smugglers, especially those who employ violence and intimidation, soldiers can only use force if fired upon first. This, smugglers know all too well, as all they must do is make it to no-man’s land, where soldiers are unable to do anything. However, what happens in practice, when the media isn’t present, we can only speculate.
Since their deployment to the area on 1 September 2024, 10 AA has seized approximately R32 million in contraband in the Musina border section alone. This includes R8 114 746 in cigarettes, the highest quantity of all the areas under their command. Further, vehicles to the value of R3 191 260, and miscellaneous contraband to the value of R21 million were also seized in the area. These numbers have likely increased, as activity around the border increases around the December holiday season, as more migrants return home.
While the soldiers deployed under Joint Headquarters Limpopo are doing the very best they can, the visit to the border has left one thing clear. There is no military solution to the current border crisis. With regional instability increasing, the economic situation has left many desperate to survive, and the many challenges along the border cannot simply bey solved by more soldiers and a bigger fence.
This article is part of a series, to read part one, click here.
