SONA must tackle Zimbabwe border security, say affected communities

Border
crime
remains
a
concern
for
communities
at
the
border
between
South
Africa
and
Zimbabwe,
whilst
South
Africans
ready
themselves
for
the
State
of
the
Nation
Address
(SONA)
this
week.

Residents
and
business
people
in
Niani
along
the
Limpopo
river
say
criminals
from
neighbouring
countries
operate
with
impunity,
stealing
vehicles
and
livestock.

Kiran
Medukonduri
from
Mulale,
outside
Musina,
is
one
of
the
crime
victims
in
the
area.
He
explains
how
one
of
his
vehicles
got
hijacked
and
taken
to
Zimbabwe
in
2024.

“So
I
got
down
off
my
bakkie
and
I
tried
to
open
the
gate.
So
the
moment
I
turned
back,
I
saw
a
guy
pointing
down
at
me,
standing
next
to
the
bakkie.
He
was
asking
me
for
the
keys.
And
then
he
started
driving.
There
is
another
two
guys
again
with
firearms.
So
they
took
all
my
belongings,
my
laptop,
my
phone,
everything.
They
dropped
me
there
in
the
bush.”

Medukonduri
adds,
“they
took
off
even
my
shoes,
everything,
so
that
I
can’t
even
walk.
Then
I
started
walking
towards
the
village,
looking
for
the
road.
In
the
meantime,
I
find
all
the
villagers,
about
10,
20
bakkies.
They
were
full
of
people.
All
the
villagers
started
looking
for
me
the
moment
they
came
to
know
from
my
guys
that
I’d
been
taken
with
the
bakkie.”

Meanwhile,
Phillemon
Munyai
from
Niani
business
forum
says
they
want
the
government
to
build
a
wall
at
the
border.

“We
plead
the
government
to
play
their
role
for
building
the
wall
so
that
this
crime
of
borderland
will
be
ended
into
the
past.
We
use
our
own
resources.
We
use
our
own
cars
because
if
we
fail
to
do
that,
these
people,
they
will
take
advantage
that
this
community,
they
don’t
want
to
work
with
the
police.”