No, AfriForum hasn’t taken over control of the country’s borders from the SANDF

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has clarified reports stating that civil organisation AfriForum has ‘taken over’ border patrol at Musina in Limpopo.

“We would like to reiterate what the Department of Home Affairs said, that it would be illegal for any civil organisation or NGO, including business, to conduct patrols at any borders of the Republic of South Africa,” the SANDF said in a statement.

Earlier this month, Home Affairs said that if AfriForum had been patrolling the country’s border, this would be viewed as illegal.

“They are certainly not patrolling the general border line outside their farms. If they were doing so, it would have been illegal,” said the department.

This followed two weeks after AfriForum released a statement saying it had launched a new border patrol initiative in Musina, to help police dense farmlands situated near the border.

“It must be stated that the constitution of the Republic mandates the SANDF to protect and secure the territorial integrity of the Republic and will do so by making sure that the country’s land, air and sea borders are protected and secured,” said the defence force.

“It is the responsibility of the SANDF to maintain all borderline integrity of the country and not any other non-state grouping or groups.”

In the statement issued on 3 June, AfriForum stated that it had launched “a new initiative to help safeguard South Arica’s borders”.

“The Border Watch Initiative was established following the enormous support the organisation received after the premiere of the documentary film Open Borders,” said AfriForum’s Campaigns Manager Jacques Broodryk in a statement.

The documentary depicted how poorly border control between South Africa and Zimbabwe is applied and how AfriForum’s neighbourhood watches along this border area helps to safeguard the community.

“The Border Watch Initiative’s first course of action was to donate two sniffer dogs to AfriForum’s neighbourhood watch in Musina. Both these dogs (Duke and Hailey) are trained trackers and Duke is specifically trained to sniff out firearms and drugs.”

“Between June and September of last year alone AfriForum’s neighbourhood watch in Musina helped to seize smuggled goods with a total value of more than R12 million,” said Broodryk.

“This has a substantial impact on the illegal activities and, according to information we have received, some of these smugglers have thrown in the towel because of the resilience of our volunteers. This is an enormous success,” added Broodryk.

But the SANDF hasn’t taken too kindly to private security initiatives at the border.

“SANDF wants to assure all South Africans, in particular those living along the borders, that it will continue to secure the borderline and will work with those communities namely; farmers, traditional leaders, businesses and the community in general to ensure that there is a coordinated effort to curb cross border crime.”

SANDF was also at pains to emphasise that it would not shed its responsibility given by the constitution to protect and secure the integrity of the Republic to anybody or organisation.

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