SA BORDER DRONES: DAGGA GROWERS, POACHERS, SMUGGLERS BEWARE

MBABANE – Game rangers, police, soldiers may now have some assistance in curbing illegal activities, thanks to ‘eyes in the sky’.

The South Africa Minister for Home Affairs Leon Schreiber has announced the launch of drones for border patrol. The drones will be used to patrol the SA border with its neighbouring countries against illegal activities including smuggling and poaching. Even though this might seem that local law enforcers will benefit from this initiative, SA did not intentionally introduce the technology to benefit the locals. SA shares borders with Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Eswatini, Mozambique and Lesotho.

In Eswatini, smugglers, poachers and cattle rustlers often take their contrabands to SA, before they are transported to intended markets, including overseas countries. Stolen livestock often finds its way to SA, while 99 per cent of dagga cultivated in the country is smuggled into the neighbouring country according to this publication’s findings. SA has now introduced advanced drones, capable of taking high resolution videos not just during the day but at night as well. Some of the drones also have military capabilities.

Fears

As SA ramps up its border security with cutting-edge drones, some emaSwati such as dagga growers are already beginning to experience fears that their illegal trade may be at risk—not just from exposure, but also from claims that South Africans might steal their herb. The use of drones to patrol SA’s borders is part of a broader initiative to curb illegal immigration, smuggling and other crimes according to SA media reports. According to a report by News24, the South African Government introduced this advanced surveillance technology in an effort to secure its porous borders.

The drones, equipped with high-resolution cameras and thermal imaging capabilities, provide real-time data to authorities, allowing them to monitor vast stretches of land with unprecedented precision. The drones’ cameras are so advanced that even on a very dark night, using thermal imaging, the drone can be used to capture images of people or animals at high resolution. The drones can be operated from ranges of between 250 to 2 000 kilometres. Some of them are able to reach heights of 20 000 kilometres (km). One of the drones such as the Milkor 380 UAV can carry weapons for minimal damage, considered ideal when dealing with armed poachers or smugglers.

Game-changer

While this technological advancement has been lauded as a game-changer in the fight against cross-border crime, it has ignited controversy among Eswatini’s illegal dagga growers. Locally known as ‘Swazi Gold’, the cannabis cultivated in Eswatini is renowned for its potency as it contains a high amount of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a substance that activates the feel-good effect which makes it lucrative for smugglers. However, the deployment of drones has left growers like *Jalala, a farmer in the Hhohho Region, deeply worried.

He first commended the initiative by South African authorities, adding that it would help curb the theft of livestock. Jalala said livestock theft was very rife in northern Hhohho, with rustlers targeting mainly goats and cattle. However, he also did not hide his concern that the same technology could expose their cannabis. Jalala revealed that cannabis is smuggled by individuals through bushes during the day or night-time, depending on the situation. “With the drones now monitoring the borders, you will have to think twice before embarking on the journey,” said Jalala.

Smuggled

Jalala, who admitted to cultivating dagga despite its illegality in Eswatini, explained that much of the cannabis is smuggled into SA through specific points along the border.
“Most of us use routes in the Hhohho area because there is a section of the land that is level and not mountainous,” he said. He lamented that with the drones flying above and able to see everything, their paths could be exposed.”Other dagga growers also expressed similar anxieties, fearing that South Africans might exploit the situation. “What if they take our dagga and sell it as their own legal cannabis?” they questioned. They said this is possible because it has happened in the past, where local dagga smugglers got robbed and could not report this to the police.

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