Parliamentary Committees raise alarm over SA’s porous borders

FILE PHOTO: Migrants gather between the primary and secondary border fences in San Diego as the United States prepares to lift COVID-19 era restrictions known as Title 42, that have blocked migrants at the U.S.- Mexico border from seeking asylum since 2020, as seen from Tijuana, Mexico May 8, 2023. REUTERS/Aimee Melo/File Photo
Serious concern has been raised regarding South Africa’s (SA) borders, which are effectively open with little control to prevent illegal crossings.
According to the Joint Standing Committee on Defence and the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, it is worrying that government departments and entities responsible for border management are not working together to find lasting solutions to the country’s porous borders.
Chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, Malusi Gigaba, explains: “We’ve expressed a deep concern about the state of our border management. In as much as the Border Management Authority has been established, all of the entities responsible for border patrol are understaffed, under-resourced, and lack the requisite equipment and infrastructure to support their operations. As a result, the border fencing is not up to standard.”
–ChannelAfrica–