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By Ross Moyo
President Emmerson Mnangagwa was joined by his counterpart, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in October 2023 when the pair toured Zimbabwe’s world class upgraded new customs office at the Beitbridge border where they shared notes including the implementation of drone technology now bearing fruit against all odds during this current festive season 2024-2025.
This comes on the backdrop of migrants attempting to enter South Africa illegally through the Beitbridge border post arrested with the help of the drone technology.
Border Management Authority (BMA) Assistant Commissioner Nkhuliseni Luvhengo was seen on television saying they have been using drones since the beginning of the festive season to prevent migrants from entering the country illegally. This after suspects were arrested who attempted to enter South Africa illegally.
The Border Management Authority Assistant said, “We are beginning to see the importance or the benefits of deploying the drones and the push token as well as the body cams that we have deployed this festive season. So, we have intercepted it yesterday only. We haven’t encountered the number of the people that we intercepted. But yesterday we intercepted 75 people. So that includes the number of people using these vulnerable areas or these passages to pass through going to Zimbabwe and also come to South Africa to either buy some products or something they are going to sell that other side of Zimbabwe.”
Border Management Authority (BMA) confirmed its use of drones along the Beitbridge Border Post between South Africa and Zimbabwe had started to show signs of success despite some travellers entering the country at the border post in Musina, Limpopo, expressing concerns about long queues and delays to have their documents processed.
Back then in early October 2023, Zimbabwe initiated the most advanced and upgraded border system in Africa and one of the best in the world, which saw Mnangagwa and Ramaphosa the two heads of State touring both sides of the border before witnessing the launch of South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA).
The example set by Zimbabwe saw South Africa set plans in motion to upgrade its border post to match the development matrix already set by Zimbabwe at Beitbridge including talks on a wide range of border management issues in Musina.
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