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SANDF troops.
Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Defence says it will be recommending that Treasury increase the budget to the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in order to re-enforce border patrols.
The committee is on a two-day oversight visit at the Beitbridge Border Post and the borderline outside Musina in Limpopo.
The borderline is plagued by reports of illegal border jumping, smuggling of illicit goods and trans-border vehicle theft.
Committee co-chairperson Dakota Legoete says the porous borderline needs urgent intervention.
“As we are now seeing people who are waiting to come, its over 200. If 200 people can walk through our borders everyday without proper documents it means that’s a serious national security threat and it warrants the President, the Minister of Home Affairs, the Cabinet to take action because as Parliament it does not help us. 12 years ago we had a similar problem and now it’s worse,” says Legoeta.
Meanwhile, a traditional leader at Tshirundu village along the borderline, Kwinda Tshirundu, has told the Joint Standing Committee on Defence that they can help curb cross border crimes.
Oversight visit at Beitbridge border fence: Dakota Legoete shares more
