South Africa to deploy 400 border guards

Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau

South Africa will on Wednesday deploy 400 more border guards to its major ports of entry, including Beitbridge Boarder Post, which is the nucleus of human movement and trade in the SADC region.

The border guards fall under the newly established Border Management Authority (BMA) and will be dispatched to 71 ports of entry after the pass-out parade set for Pretoria on Wednesday.

The guards are set to be charged with the responsibility to arrest and deport illegal migrants across all the ports of entry and the border law enforcement areas.

President Mnangagwa and his South African counterpart, President Cyril Ramaphosa, met at the Beitbridge Border Post in October last year to oversee the launch of the new BMA in the neighbouring country.

At the launch, Zimbabwe and South Africa re-affirmed the need to tighten screws on border crimes along the Limpopo River and at the Beitbridge Boarder Post, where cases of irregular migrations and smuggling of prohibited goods are rampant.

BMA’s commissioner, Dr Michael Masiapato confirmed the development.

“We will celebrate and reaffirm our steadfast support to the border guards. They are not just defenders of the borders; they are the guardians of our freedom, the sentinels of our sovereignty,” said Dr Masiapato.

He added that more than 100 border management response vehicles will be displayed on the day.

Dr Masiapato said ministers and border law enforcement officials will be part of pass-out event.