Communities living along South Africa’s borders with Mozambique and the Kingdom of eSwatini are increasingly alarmed by rising cross-border crime, including vehicle theft, drug and gun smuggling, and illegal migration through porous sections of the frontier.
Residents report living in fear due to frequent incidents of car theft—particularly of models such as GD6 and Rangers—which are often stolen locally and driven across the nearby border into Mozambique. Criminals exploit weak security at border entrances, and communities say justice frequently fails them. Shootouts sometimes erupt when suspects are pursued by police, heightening the sense of insecurity. Smuggling of drugs, illegal cigarettes, and firearms into South Africa has become easier because of inadequate border controls, while robbery and other crimes plague the area.
Particularly troubling for locals is the impact on youth: children in the community are now struggling with addiction, linked to the influx of illicit substances.
Just five kilometers from the Lebombo port of entry, the situation is especially dire. The border fence is low in many places and entirely absent in others. People cross illegally every day via bush paths, often damaging remaining sections of the fence. Large stretches of the border between South Africa, Mozambique, and eSwatini remain porous, not only attracting desperate migrants seeking better opportunities but also criminals and opportunists who take advantage of the weak controls. This poses serious risks to national security, with communities calling for tighter monitoring and more frequent patrols.
The Border Management Authority (BMA), launched three years ago to strengthen border control and curb illegal migration, has introduced drone technology as part of its efforts. A BMA spokesperson said the strategy is beginning to yield results.
“People used to walk in and out of the country with impunity and on that basis they were not necessarily even kind of concerned or even worried,” the spokesperson explained. Aggregated figures show the BMA has intercepted and deported over 500,000 individuals since its operations began. During the 2024/2025 festive period (December-January), more than 58,000 people were intercepted and deported. In the subsequent period referred to as last year (2025/2026), interceptions dropped to around 25,000–26,000.
The spokesperson attributed the decline not to reduced enforcement but to a deterrent effect: “The number of the interceptions are going down… because the fact that we are present, it actually serves as a deterrent. And we have seen less and less individuals attempting to enter the country illegally.”
The BMA has also taken down over 114 facilitators of illegal migration. The authority is collaborating with a private company to bolster patrols, which has supplied armored vehicles and advanced drone technology to monitor extensive border areas.
“Our aircraft is achieving a 50 km range… we can monitor the border for 50 km and we have about a 3-hour endurance and we can just rotate drones. So we can actually provide a 24/7 solution for a border patrol,” the spokesperson detailed. The drones carry powerful cameras capable of detecting human beings from 5–6 kilometers away and tracking vehicles from up to 10 kilometers. “We have eyes in the sky completely undetected… we can now surveil the ground, track movement on the ground, gather intelligence on the ground.”
Despite these advances, residents maintain that until the border is properly secured, criminals will continue to exploit the vulnerabilities.
The BMA remains hopeful that sustained presence, combined with drone surveillance and other technologies, will further discourage illegal crossings and enhance security for border communities.