South Africa says it will make use of drones and other technologies to tighten security at its borders to stop Zimbabweans and other foreigners from illegally crossing into the country.
The country’s Home Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi told broadcaster eNCA that the country was in the process of appointing commissioners to strengthen the Border Management Authority in dealing with illegal immigration.
Motsoaledi, however, warned that the measures to curb illegal immigration could result in loss of lives since no system was waterproof.
Motsoaledi cited unemployment and hunger as the major push factors for illegal immigration, particularly for Zimbabweans.
“The borders during the apartheid were electric fence, the army, and all that, which we removed because we thought we are a democracy. Now we realise we made a terrible mistake by removing those and replacing them with nothing.
Motsoaledi said South Africa had to tighten security because the “desperate” Zimbabweans had improvised other tactics to defy the current security measures to eke out a living in the neighbouring country.
