Communities want border security addressed at SONA

Border Management Authority official checks a motorist’s documents at the border.

As South Africans ready themselves for the State of the Nation Address (SONA) this week, border crime remains a concern for communities at the borderline between South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Some say the SONA must address the security situation at the border.

Residents and businesspeople in Niani along the Limpopo River say criminals from neighbouring countries operate with impunity, stealing their vehicles and livestock.

Kiran Medukonduri from Mulale, outside Musina, is one of the crime victims in the area. He explains how one of his vehicles got hijacked and taken to Zimbabwe in 2024.

“So, I got off my bakkie and tried to open the gate. The moment I turned back, I saw a guy pointing down at me, standing next to the bakkie. He was asking for the keys. And then he started driving. There were two other guys with firearms. So, they took all my belongings, my laptop, my phone, everything. They dropped me there in the bush. They took off even my shoes, everything, so that I couldn’t even walk. Then I started walking towards the village, looking for the road. In the meantime, I found all the villagers, about 10, 20 bakkies. They (bakkies) were full of people. All the villagers started looking for me the moment they came to know from my guys that I’d been taken with the bakkie,” says Medukonduri.

Meanwhile, Phillemon Munyai from Niani Business Forum says they want the government to build a wall at the border.

“We plead with the government to play their role by building the wall so that border crime ends. We use our own resources. We use our own cars because if we fail to do that, these people take advantage of this community,” says Munyai.