Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya
Beitbridge Bureau
South African border authorities will today bring inmates to share their experiences with the media and travellers as part of an anti-corruption and fraud campaign.
The inmates are drawn from various sectors, including former border agency officials who were convicted of border crimes.
The Border Management Authority (BMA) confirmed this development in a statement released this morning.
“The Department of Correctional Services is bringing inmates to share how corruption landed them in the docks,” said the BMA.
Over 40 Home Affairs officials, including those deployed to Beitbridge, have been arrested on corruption-related charges over the last 12 months.
Common corrupt activities include facilitating irregular migration (border jumping) and smuggling contraband into either Zimbabwe or South Africa.
Already, on the Zimbabwean side, the border agencies have signed integrity pledges with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) as the fight against corruption gains traction at SADC’s busiest border.
Both the South African and Zimbabwean governments are losing millions of dollars annually in customs revenue due to corruption involving border agencies and ordinary citizens.
