Soldiers prevent thousands of illegals entering South Africa

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One of the main reasons for first the military, then the police and now again the military, being deployed on South Africa’s borders is to stop ‘undocumented persons’ illegally entering the country.

In January, 7 148 undocumented people were prevented by soldiers from reaching cities such as Johannesburg. Once under military guard they are handed to Department of Home Affairs (DHA) officials for further processing and deportation to their countries of origin.

Statistics provided by the Joint Operations Division of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) for its January Operation Corona border protection activities show Mozambique and Zimbabwe as major contributors to the seven thousand plus illegal immigrants stopped by soldiers. In Mozambique, a protracted conflict against an Islamist organisation is putting a halt on economic activity, especially in the north. Zimbabwe has its own set of sad economic circumstances which sees thousands illegally enter South Africa in search of work.

Using the broad definition set out by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the majority of those stopped by soldiers and handed to Department of Home Affairs (DHA) officials can be described as “economic migrants”.

Four thousand eight hundred and four Mozambicans were the single largest group of foreigners to be stopped by soldiers, police and DHA officials in January followed by 1 582 Zimbabweans. Operation Corona deployments in KwaZulu-Natal cover both the Eswatini and Mozambique borders and recorded 236 illegals stopped last month.

Via its two Eastern Cape borders and a third with the Free State, 440 Lesotho nationals did not complete the journey into South Africa thanks to the efforts of alert soldiers.A handful – 26 – of Namibians were stopped by soldiers deployed on South Africa’s Northern Cape border with the south-west African country.

Soldiers, again patrolling and working with police, intercepted smugglers carrying narcotics, mainly dagga, to the value of over R137 million in January. The bulk of the drug was confiscated on the SA/Mozambique border.