While police were searching for a kidnapping victim they uncovered a human trafficking ring where 90 undocumented Ethiopian nationals were held against their will at a Sunnydale Ridge home in Johannesburg.
Police are to be commended. The victim kidnapped in Benoni on Tuesday afternoon was rescued as his kidnappers were demanding ransom money from his family, and the foreign nationals have all been taken for medical care.
Despite this success, what do these regular busts tell us about the sovereignty of South Africa and its border controls?
Irregular migration is known to exacerbate extremism, increase crimes such as trafficking, and drive undesirable social, political and economic issues.
The continuous manipulation of border controls reflects the many-hued manifestation of a state heading to disaster for all involved.
On Thursday, national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola said the anti-kidnapping units at national and provincial level are making inroads, referencing recent arrests and the successful rescue of victims.
The political and social instabilities in other countries should not be the burden of South Africans — thus it is important for the leaders to protect the territorial integrity of the country
He said police were liaising with their counterparts in other Southern African Development Community countries because some of the kingpins were in neighbouring countries.
In kidnappings where ransom is the motive, the teams in each province were able to make “commendable progress” in rescuing victims and taking down these syndicates, he said.
In the latest kidnapping, the Hawks rescued a Gqeberha businessman and investigations are continuing, while two weeks ago, 14 suspects including three Chinese nationals, two Mozambicans and nine South Africans were arrested in various parts of Johannesburg. A Zimbabwean businessman was rescued in Diepkloof, Soweto.
In the past two years, more than 250 kidnappers of various nationalities have been arrested and more than 20 businessmen rescued.
There has been ample opportunity, but what action is the government and stakeholders taking?
Just 10 days ago, police arrested 95 Libyans receiving what police claimed was military training on a farm in White River, Mpumalanga.
The men, aged between 20 and 41, had arrived in South Africa via OR Tambo International Airport in April and were alleged to have made misrepresentations on their visa applications.
The state claims they falsified information when applying for visas, obtaining study permits to train as security guards and instead received military training.
But again the problem of border control and entry into South Africa is an issue.
South Africa finds itself in a powerful — though not unique — dilemma that should be prioritised and tackled as a matter of urgency.
There are internal control issues which need to be addressed such as those at the department of home affairs.
On Thursday, a former Durban home affairs department employee, who pocketed R768,000 in just under three weeks by processing fraudulent passports for foreigners, was served with a 12-year prison sentence for her role in the rot that undermines our country.
In handing down sentence, Durban regional court magistrate Garth Davis was on the mark when he said her actions, along with others, were part of the “capture of the department of home affairs” with employees seeking to “refuel their pockets” while undermining the integrity of passports, generally, and the population register.
There are major pull factors, such as guaranteed human rights, lower starvation, lower political unrest and fewer economic shortfalls, that make the country a safe haven for immigrants.
The political and social instabilities in other countries should not be the burden of South Africans — thus it is important for the leaders to protect the territorial integrity of the country.
Bilateral co-operation is not just a matter of border control, but regional stability and security. Why is it easy for more than 50 people at a time to come into the country for a sole purpose and not be detected and apprehended?
The recent problem areas are not just neighbouring countries such as Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and the Kingdom of Eswatini, but are continent-wide.
This demands an expeditious solution driven with robust talk with countries that contribute to the conundrum.
The time for steely diplomacy is now and should be driven by our leaders.
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