COSTLY BILL FOR CRIME

Our borders have been labelled as highly porous with criminal activity. This is troubling our neighbours to such an extent that a ‘Trump wall’ is now being considered along parts of the Swaziland and Mozambican borders near Jozini and KwaZulu Natal since all other cross-border crime prevention measures seem to be failing.

Reports emerging from South African media suggest that the crime situation is so bad it prompted South African President Jacob Zuma to visit the area last Tuesday. Zuma’s spokesperson said the visit was part of efforts aimed at fighting cross-border crime that is rampant in the area.
The KwaZulu Natal Finance MEC Belinda Scott has said they were tired of having people, including tourists, getting killed and attacked from vehicle hijacking and stock theft.

The Kingdom has also been cited as having a city, Manzini that is a haven for International crime kingpins who have become so sophisticated that they are supplying shops with fake cosmetics and counterfeit drugs.  As if to confirm these allegations a E20.6 million consignment of sex pills allegedly destined for the black market in Swaziland was confiscated at OR Tambo International airport in Johannesburg on Sunday. The consignment was found with other goods that were to be brought into the Kingdom by road according to SA Customs officials.

Just recently, local officials arrested foreign nationals found with 24 pieces of rhino horns at the King Mswati III international airport.  Human trafficking is also a crime regarded as a serious problem in the country, which led to a Parliament probe being launched following a high number of nationals from Asian countries being found in the country without legal documentation while others suspected of obtaining citizenship illegally. We anxiously await the findings. The growing of dagga is another crime that refuses to go away and constitutes one of the most common drugs seized at the borders.

These incidents suggest that there is a whole lot more criminal activity taking place than what meets the eye. As a country with one of the highest expenditure on national security, Swaziland should be a country no criminal should dare to set foot. At the cost of our security, we certainly don’t deserve to have a wall erected along our periphery just because criminals are walking in and out with illicit goods at ease. It is high time our well funded security put a stop to all of this.

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