More work needs to be done to strengthen SA's porous borders - Justice Minister Simelane
Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Thembi Simelane says there’s work to be done to strengthen the country’s porous borders, following the arrest of the 95 Libyan nationals at a supposed military training camp in Mpumalanga.
A South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldier walks along the border fence that separates South Africa and Zimbabwe, near the Beitbridge border post, near Musina, on January 8, 2021. Picture: Guillem Sartorio/AFP
JOHANNESBURG - Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Thembi Simelane says there’s work to be done to strengthen the country’s porous borders, following the arrest of the 95 Libyan nationals at a supposed military training camp in Mpumalanga.
The minister touched on the subject in a recent interview with Eyewitness News.
The Libyan nationals are accused of securing their visas through “misrepresentation”, with the minister calling for improvements on this front.
“I think my reaction when I heard about that was that we need to enhance the border management system that Minister [Aaron] Motsoaledi introduced and started at the Department of Home Affairs.”
She said members of the public also need to be encouraged to report suspicious activity, and that requires rebuilding their trust.
“It will build trust automatically into our communities that, when we report, action is taken; when we report, we are well taken care of as whistleblowers, the matters are adjudicated, the people are tried and they're jailed. Once you create that, of course, the community will be different. But one can’t overemphasise the point of our border management systems in our country.”