Rotation of units assigned to border protection is currently underway without any effect on operational efficiency proven by substantial seizures of dagga and illicit cigarettes as well as recovering a stolen top-of-the-range 4×4 vehicle.
The vehicle, a Mercedes-Benz ML250, seemingly en route to eSwatini never made it thanks to the intervention of 121 SAI soldiers.
Acting on information from a vehicle tracking company, soldiers found a breached border fence and discarded registration plate.
The patrol continued with continuous scanning finding the German luxury SUV inside landlocked eSwatini. Soldiers deployed in a hold pattern on the borderline where they estimated the vehicle would attempt to cross. The ML250 driver spotted the soldiers and abandoned the stolen vehicle. Contact with eSwatini police saw the vehicle returned to South African soil with the infantrymen handing it to police awaiting collection from its rightful owner.
Further north, west of Musina, 1 Special Service Battalion (SSB) gunners in their role of border guards, added an R800 000 plus dagga haul to a one valued at just on R500 000 a day previously to end the Tempe unit’s Op Corona tour on a high note.
The Free State armour unit has been replaced by 4 Artillery Regiment. The Potchefstroom field and medium artillery training unit deployment will see another batch of gunners trade in their guns for assault rifles as they mount 24/7 patrols to prevent smugglers moving contraband and illegal immigrants from finding hopefully greener pastures in South Africa than what’s on offer in Zimbabwe.
