Africa Wild

POLICE COMMITTEE WANTS TIGHTER BORDER CONTROLS

PARLIAMENT- TUESDAY, 03 FEBRUARY 2015 – The Portfolio Committee on Police says it will kick-start a process of ensuring that South Africa has stricter border controls by calling the National Police Commissioner to the meeting of 18 February where the National Commissioner and her senior management team would explain how the South African Police Service plans to address challenges faced by the country’s ports of entry.
“The matter of having tighter controls at our borders is a non-negotiable. It is a matter of National Security and as such the Committee will not compromise on making sure that security controls at our borders are heightened,” said Mr Francois Beukman.
The Committee said this during its oversight visit to the Lebombo border post in Mpumalanga yesterday, where it heard of challenges experienced by police officers working at this border gate.
According to Mr Beukman, the 18 February meeting will seek responses on how SAPS intends addressing shortage of staff, technology as well as inadequate facilities at Lebombo border post. “We will also call the Director-General of Public Works to be part of this meeting as some of the challenges we picked up here fall squarely on their door-step.”
Members were shocked to learn that some kilometres of the fencing around the Lebombo border post were no longer in place. They also heard that there was only one toilet catering for 160 police officers working at the border. Police Officers inspecting the cars going in and out of Mozambique and South Africa have no shelter; they have to brave the sun, cold weather and rain when conducting their searches. Unlike other officials from SARS and Home Affairs, SAPS members are not allowed to reside in the precincts of the border post. They have to be transported in and out.
Colonel Mahlangu, the Commander in charge of the Lebombo border post says shortage of staff is one hindrance to their work, especially during the festive and Easter seasons. He said he normally has 30 officers on duty per-shift on daily basis but would love to have 50 officers to help ease the workload and congestion. He said during busy times, the line of vehicles extends to about 50 kilometres from the boarder gates and the limited officers have to manually search the cars, checking for stolen cars, drugs, counter-fit and stolen goods as well as wanted criminals.
The Committee found it incomprehensible that SAPS had not procured a scanning machine in order to help the work done by police officers. “Technological advancement is very critical in this day and age. Having a scanner would help detect so many unwanted substances and we will urge SAPS to look into this matter,” added Mr Beukman.
With the border post being a multi-departmental operation, Mr Beukman said he would engage his counter parts in Parliamentary Committees such as Defence, Intelligence, Home Affairs and Public Works towards conducting a joint oversight visit to some border posts in the country.
“We want to ensure that our borders are properly controlled to prevent and control illegal activities found in the country. And for this to happen, we need an integrated approach where all relevant role players can come together and ensure that our border controls are as effective as possible, ” said Mr Beukman.
Today, the Committee is in Kruger National Park where assessing SAPS’ strategies of fighting rhino-poaching.

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Lowvelder: Savage killing of rhino shocks politicians

By 3 February 2015 54 rhino has been poached in Kruger National Park and 53 had their horns removed
6 February 2015 12:33

SKUKUZA – Information on planned poaching activities should be collected and acted upon, before suspects can embark on these deadly excursions.
This was the opinion voiced by the chairman of the parliamentary portfolio committee on police, Mr Francois Beukman.
The committee visited the Kruger National Park (KNP) this week and took part in discussions on the progress made in the fight against poaching.
“SAPS intelligence services should be able to infiltrate and neutralise whatever plans the poachers might have even before they get implemented, especially seeing that they recruit locals to carry out these plans,” Beukman said.
“Be proactive and not only reactive,” Ms Diane Kohler Barnard, member of parliament and whip for the Democratic Alliance (DA), added.
She has been in the senior position of shadow minister of the SAPS since 2006.
Kohler Barnard also added that the SAPS intelligence system needed to immerse itself among the people residing in respective communities, so that it was able to gather intelligence useful for the curbing of poaching activities.
The committee also visited a poaching scene where the police’s forensic team gathered evidence. The carcass was that of a rhino which was poached near Pretoriuskop on Sunday.
he whip of the committee, Mr Jerome Maake, reacted with shock at the scene of the crime. “It’s a black rhino and the treatment dished out by the poachers to this rhino, is unthinkable! “They hacked off his hind legs and then broke his spine with axes! They possibly removed the horn even before this animal was dead!
“China and Vietnam should realise that every horn from a South African rhino represents a slaughtered and mutilated animal.”
The committee visited other police units in the province, including the Hazyview Public Order Policing Unit and Nelspruit Police Station, before returning to Cape Town.
This visit to the anti-poaching unit in KNP has meant a lot to Gen Johan Jooste and his team stationed in Skukuza.
Since the beginning of 2015, 54 rhino have been poached in Kruger alone.