Chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, Dr Malusi Gigaba, says underfunding for the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is making it difficult to prevent illegal immigration, smuggling, and other cross-border crimes.

Gigaba is leading the committee on an oversight visit to the borderline between South Africa and Zimbabwe outside Musina in Limpopo.

He says that the lack of funding also makes it difficult to recruit or deploy enough troops to protect the borders.

“One of the biggest challenges we are facing in this regard is the fact that the SANDF is severely underfunded. As a result, they are not able to recruit for deployment. They are supposed to be 22 companies protecting our borders, but there are only 15 at the present moment. Even those face the challenges of a lack of personnel, inadequate vehicles and insufficient technologies such as drones and others.”

Meanwhile, Gigaba says it’s worrying that some of the 91 bus crash victims on the N1 outside Louis Trichardt do not have identification documents, including passports.

He says those who are found to have been in the country illegally should be prosecuted. 

Gigaba adds that the cross-border travellers should possess proper documentation. 

“What was going to happen at the border gate (is that) they were going to be processed for exit and issued with no return letters because it was necessary to also take the biometrics so that in the future (if) they are found back in the country again, they will be taken through the criminal justice system so that they are prosecuted.” 

Defence Committee conduct oversight at Beitbridge border: