READER LETTER | Porous borders making life miserable for citizens

04 December 2023 - 08:15
By
Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi.
Image: Gallo Images/Papi Morake Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi.

The first time I raised concerns about the influx of illegal immigrants in SA was in July 2007 when there were problems negatively affecting our health services.No attention was paid to those complaints.

A few years later, colleagues from the East Rand said their living conditions had become unbearable from immigrants engaging in illegal mining, threatening the safety and lives of residents.

I highlighted that too, but no action was taken. The longer the government and law enforcement agencies delay to stop illegality, the more the perpetrators become emboldened to continue with their business.

About two weeks ago, I wrote a letter wondering if Dr Aaron Motsoaledi was aware of the state of our borders after deploying the Border Management Authority, which seems to have had no improvement on the control of movement across the country’s borders.

The president of Action SA, HermanMashaba, went to investigate the activities at the Beitbridge Border, only to find there were many holes in the border fence, giving easy access to and from SA. What is it that other countries do to protect their borders that SA is failing to do?

Cometh Dube-Makholwa