South Africa just deployed speedboats to guard a river because the actual border fence failed completely. The South African National Defence Force sent these vessels to patrol the Limpopo River after the Border Management Authority begged for help in stopping unauthorized crossings from Zimbabwe.
Migrants are supposedly gaming the system while watching the patrols closely. Reporter Scara Mafokoane observed groups waiting on the banks until the military craft moved west before rushing across the water. The whole dash from one side to the other takes less than five minutes once the coast looks clear.
Officials admit that current barriers stop absolutely nobody. One agent noted that they arrested someone only to see the same face trying to sneak back through the port half an hour later. Law enforcement tries to profile these repeat offenders and open cases to charge them formally.
The police and military insist they lack the manpower to cover the ground properly. Agencies like the South African Police Service claim that forty kilometers of line is too much for their limited staff to watch. This gap lets people slip through despite the boots on the ground.
Migrants are supposedly gaming the system while watching the patrols closely. Reporter Scara Mafokoane observed groups waiting on the banks until the military craft moved west before rushing across the water. The whole dash from one side to the other takes less than five minutes once the coast looks clear.
Officials admit that current barriers stop absolutely nobody. One agent noted that they arrested someone only to see the same face trying to sneak back through the port half an hour later. Law enforcement tries to profile these repeat offenders and open cases to charge them formally.
The police and military insist they lack the manpower to cover the ground properly. Agencies like the South African Police Service claim that forty kilometers of line is too much for their limited staff to watch. This gap lets people slip through despite the boots on the ground.
