By Editorial
Bizarre pictures of a stolen bakkie, transported on the back of a truck headed for Mozambique and hidden underneath a cargo of brooms, made headlines on the weekend.
According to a statement released by the SAPS, they have launched a manhunt for the suspect involved following the vehicle’s discovery at the Lebombo border post.
It is believed that the incident, which was captured on video, was recorded after a truck driver intended to cross the border to Mozambique with the stolen car. According to reports, the police at the border were busy with their duties when they noticed a suspicious white truck with a Mozambican number plate fully loaded with traditional brooms.
“The members were convinced that there might be something sinister about the truck. The driver was not available and members got information that he had gone to the Sars offices to complete certain documents,” the statement read.
In 2018, news reports indicated that at least 17 vehicles had been recovered at the Mozambique border near Komatipoort by September of that year. Most of the vehicles were Ford Rangers and Toyota Hiluxes, Fortuners and Land Cruisers, it was reported.
The issue of weak border posts and migration control as well as the vetting of all cars that drive through our borders is one that needs urgent attention.
When we talk about migration our focus should not only be on the movement of people, but also the syndicates involved in white-collar crime. It is these syndicates that continue to run amok and are never caught.
We recently saw the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure initiate a probe into the failed Beitbridge border fence project, because officials had been involved in corruption over the issuing of the contract.
Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula recently told Parliament that new technology, such as sensors and drones, would also have to be deployed to better patrol the border.
“It is clear that the whole thing of a fence has not worked, and probably will not work, it doesn’t matter the quality of the fence we put up,” she said.
Even with the technological solutions we must ensure the costs are not astronomical, with nothing to show for it at the end of the day.
The Star