By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Police Minister Bheki Cele has called for better technology at the country’s borders rather than manual procedures that inadvertently benefit criminal elements.
Cele was conducting an oversite visit together with KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa-Dube Ncube, Provincial Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, and other senior managers from the South African Police Services and Border Management Authority at the Kosi Bay border to Mozambique on Thursday.
The oversite visit was part of the evaluation of the Safer Festive Season Operations.
Addressing the media, Cele stated that a task team had been deployed to the uMhlabuyalingana area to prevent cross-border crimes, including vehicle smuggling. He indicated that there were measures put in place to ensure effective policing during the festive season had born desired fruits thus far.
“We had to come to the border to see how much crime crosses there and the comfort of people from both sides. We are on the satisfied side that the Border Management Authority (BMA) pulling together with partners and the SAPS and other components such as agriculture seem to have things in order.”
“But there could be a lot of improvements, one thing we agree with as officials is that we have to improve in the question of technology, this thing of dealing with everything manually, might be letting some crime go through, we will recommend that technology will play a big part in letting crime go through borders.”
The premier said the provincial government was grateful that the minister also visited the border.
“This is the area where illegal things are coming in, or they are going out. We really want to applaud the fact that the JCPS cluster has got involved so that we can really rid our country of any illegal illicit goods, or any criminal elements,” said Dube-Ncube.
Dube-Ncube called for the community to continue to work with the police.
“It cannot be done without the co-operation of the communities. We know that criminals live with us and as a result, communities are needed to be part of the policing of their areas, of their families and also of their communities and we will continue from here, “said the premier.