The use of drones at the Beitbridge Border Post heeds success

Migrants attempting to enter South Africa illegally through the Beitbridge border post arrested.

2 minutes

The Border Management Authority (BMA) says its use of drones along the Beitbridge Border Post between South Africa and Zimbabwe has started to show signs of success.

BMA Assistant Commissioner Nkhuliseni Luvhengo says they have been using drones since the beginning of the festive season to prevent migrants from entering the country illegally. This after suspects were arrested who attempted to enter South Africa illegally.

He says, “We are beginning to see the importance or the benefits of deploying the drones and the push token as well as the body cams that we have deployed this festive season. So, we have intercepted it yesterday only. We haven’t encountered the number of the people that we intercepted. But yesterday we intercepted 75 people. So that includes the number of people using these vulnerable areas or these passages to pass through going to Zimbabwe and also come to South Africa to either buy some products or something they are going to sell that other side of Zimbabwe.”

Meanwhile, some travellers entering the country at the border post in Musina, Limpopo, have expressed concerns about long queues and delays to have their documents processed.

Tinashe Musodza who was travelling from Zimbabwe says, “It’s hectic, it’s taking two hours, three hours from Harare then you meet long queues. It’s a lot of fatigue and the queue is very long.”

Commissioner of @TheBMA_SA Dr Michael Masiapato led an operation at the Beitbridge port of entry where @TheBMA_SA intercepted persons attempting to illegally cross the Limpopo River into Zimbabwe ferrying goods with a makeshift boat. The people did not have any documentation… pic.twitter.com/QZEnISkShq

— The Border Management Authority SA (@TheBMA_SA) January 5, 2025