ActionSA notes with grave concern the shocking state of affairs at the Mananga Border Post and in surrounding frontline communities such as Magudu Village, following an oversight visit conducted today by our Provincial Secretary.
Our visit revealed how poorly resourced and porous our borders remain, making it easy for illegal crossings that fuel the crisis of undocumented immigrants entering South Africa. Communities living along these border lines are forced to carry the heaviest burden of government’s failure to secure our sovereignty – from increased crime and overburdened local services, to threats to livelihoods and social cohesion.
It is clear that the Border Management Authority (BMA), tasked with safeguarding our borders, is not adequately capacitated to deal with the scale of illegal immigration and criminal syndicates exploiting these weaknesses. This leaves our country exposed while placing frontline communities in a state of permanent insecurity.
During our visit to Magudu Village, we found that illegal crossings into South Africa occur daily and in significant numbers. In many instances, people cross to buy groceries, while children living in Eswatini use the same illegal route to attend school in South Africa before returning across the border each day. Alarmingly, just last week, four buses carrying passengers to the reed dance festival crossed at this same illegal point, further demonstrating how entrenched this practice has become.
The area has been known as an illegal crossing point for many years, yet it continues to operate as though it were an official border post. Community members informed us that criminals also exploit this weakness, smuggling dagga, drugs, illegal firearms, and other contraband into South Africa. What is most concerning is that police are fully aware of this spot and even conduct patrols there, effectively recognising it as an “official” illegal entry point.
This situation is wholly unacceptable. ActionSA will be engaging with the Border Management Authority (BMA) and the South African Police Service (SAPS) on this matter because it cannot be that people come and go into South Africa as they please, without consequence.
ActionSA reiterates that border security is a cornerstone of protecting both our sovereignty and the safety of South Africans. The ANC government’s failure to act decisively has left villages like Magudu abandoned to fend for themselves, with the human cost felt daily by law-abiding citizens.
We will continue to place pressure on the national government to urgently capacitate the BMA, strengthen border patrols, and implement the necessary resources and technology to close these dangerous gaps. Our borders must never be treated as suggestions on a map, they are lines of national security and must be respected as such.
ActionSA stands with the people of Mpumalanga who are forced to live with the consequences of porous borders, and we will not relent in demanding action that protects our sovereignty, restores the rule of law, and secures a future where communities like Magudu are safe, respected, and supported.
ActionSA Calls for Urgent Intervention at the Mananga Border
ActionSA notes with grave concern the shocking state of affairs at the Mananga Border Post and in surrounding frontline communities such as Magudu Village, following an oversight visit conducted today by our Provincial Secretary.
Our visit revealed how poorly resourced and porous our borders remain, making it easy for illegal crossings that fuel the crisis of undocumented immigrants entering South Africa. Communities living along these border lines are forced to carry the heaviest burden of government’s failure to secure our sovereignty – from increased crime and overburdened local services, to threats to livelihoods and social cohesion.
It is clear that the Border Management Authority (BMA), tasked with safeguarding our borders, is not adequately capacitated to deal with the scale of illegal immigration and criminal syndicates exploiting these weaknesses. This leaves our country exposed while placing frontline communities in a state of permanent insecurity.
During our visit to Magudu Village, we found that illegal crossings into South Africa occur daily and in significant numbers. In many instances, people cross to buy groceries, while children living in Eswatini use the same illegal route to attend school in South Africa before returning across the border each day. Alarmingly, just last week, four buses carrying passengers to the reed dance festival crossed at this same illegal point, further demonstrating how entrenched this practice has become.
The area has been known as an illegal crossing point for many years, yet it continues to operate as though it were an official border post. Community members informed us that criminals also exploit this weakness, smuggling dagga, drugs, illegal firearms, and other contraband into South Africa. What is most concerning is that police are fully aware of this spot and even conduct patrols there, effectively recognising it as an “official” illegal entry point.
This situation is wholly unacceptable. ActionSA will be engaging with the Border Management Authority (BMA) and the South African Police Service (SAPS) on this matter because it cannot be that people come and go into South Africa as they please, without consequence.
ActionSA reiterates that border security is a cornerstone of protecting both our sovereignty and the safety of South Africans. The ANC government’s failure to act decisively has left villages like Magudu abandoned to fend for themselves, with the human cost felt daily by law-abiding citizens.
We will continue to place pressure on the national government to urgently capacitate the BMA, strengthen border patrols, and implement the necessary resources and technology to close these dangerous gaps. Our borders must never be treated as suggestions on a map, they are lines of national security and must be respected as such.
ActionSA stands with the people of Mpumalanga who are forced to live with the consequences of porous borders, and we will not relent in demanding action that protects our sovereignty, restores the rule of law, and secures a future where communities like Magudu are safe, respected, and supported.