MATSAMO LAKE USED FOR DAGGA, FIREARMS SMUGGLING

MATSAMO - For some residents of Matsamo, the answer involves navigating a treacherous path—one fraught with danger and uncertainty.

Their livelihood hinges on smuggling contraband across a lake teeming with crocodiles and hippos, a waterway that separates Eswatini from South Africa. Matsamo Lake, also known as Driekopies Dam on the South African side, has become a vital corridor for smugglers of illicit goods across the border.

The lake is part of the Mlumati River, which flows from Eswatini into South Africa, where it is called the Lomati River, before merging with Mozambique’s Incomati (Nkomazi) River. Located within Timpisini Inkhundla, Matsamo Lake has been identified as a key smuggling route frequently used for transporting dagga (cannabis) and livestock, particularly goats. It is also suspected to serve as an entry point for illegal firearms into Eswatini.

Information

Information obtained by Eswatini News reveals that traffickers exploit this body of water, which connects border communities including Mlumati, Matsamo and Mashobeni, to evade stringent security patrols along official crossing points. Unlike the Matsamo Border Post, monitored by security personnel and located near an army base, the lake remains largely unguarded, making it an attractive alternative for smugglers.

According to sources familiar with the smuggling operations, individuals use handmade wooden canoes to ferry goods across the lake. Some areas are shallow enough for smugglers to wade through while carrying their cargo. Due to the absence of consistent military or police patrols, the lake provides unrestricted cross-border movement.

“Canoes are sometimes used for transporting contraband, but that doesn’t mean every canoe on the lake is involved in illegal activities. There are so many boats here that identifying smugglers can be difficult for authorities,” a source said. The source further noted that the trade in goats is particularly lucrative, driven by demand from South African consumers who avoid beef due to religious beliefs.

Contraband

However, the primary contraband remains dagga (cannabis), which can even be smuggled at night. He stated that young people, desperate for income, often risk their lives by plunging into waters inhabited by crocodiles. Avoiding more conventional crossing points means dodging not only security forces but also criminal gangs that control alternative routes. Local residents admitted that crocodiles pose a significant risk, though they believe the reptiles primarily feed on large fish and occasionally on goats that fall into the water.

Another concern is the presence of hippos, which are known to be territorial and aggressive. While recent reports suggest hippos are no longer commonly seen on the Eswatini side of the lake, they remain in some sections as one moves further across the water towards South Africa. Despite these dangers, smugglers claim to possess knowledge of safer pathways through the lake, allowing them to navigate areas least likely to harbour crocodiles or hippos.

More residents, whose names will not be mentioned for ethical reasons, revealed that smugglers are fully aware of the danger, particularly the risk of being attacked by crocodiles. It must be said that the same loopholes exploited in these regions also exist at Matsamo Lake, where natural water borders make law enforcement more challenging. In other parts of Eswatini, law enforcement agencies have made several interceptions of stolen livestock and smuggled dagga.

Activities

According to Lieutenant Tengetile Khumalo, Public Affairs Officer of the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF), security forces have successfully disrupted smuggling activities, particularly in the Shiselweni Region. However, so far, there have been no recorded interceptions at the Matsamo Lake area. Despite these challenges, authorities remain aware of Matsamo Lake’s reputation for illicit activities. In addition to smuggling, the lake has been linked to unexplained deaths and wildlife disturbances.

In one instance, a man’s body was discovered on the lake’s banks, though authorities could not ascertain the cause of death. Further complicating matters, hippos from South Africa have been spotted travelling through the lake, sometimes venturing as far as Ndlalambi, where they disrupt local fishing and farming activities. Despite the efforts of security forces, the use of Matsamo Lake as a smuggling route persists, driven by economic desperation, border enforcement challenges and the continued demand for contraband.

As long as these factors remain, the source said smugglers will continue to risk their lives, crossing a lake where the threat is not just the law—but nature itself. The Ministry of Home Affairs stated that when the need arises for a border gate to monitor human movements around the lake, government will construct it.

Mlandvo Dlamini, the Communications Officer in the Ministry of Home Affairs, said the border gate could be built in collaboration with the Border Management Control (BMC) in South Africa. Dlamini said the history of the area will also be considered. Since the past, he said there have been arrangements of informal  crossings for people living along such borderlines.

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