By SABC News
LIMPOPO: The opposition Patriotic Alliance (PA) says the country lacks strong borders due to a lack of decisive government leaders. The party’s leadership is on a campaign to stop illegal immigrants from crossing the Limpopo River from Zimbabwe into South Africa.
The party’s deputy president Kenny Kunene says more than 700 people were turned back to Zimbabwe while attempting to cross the river.
Kunene says at least 8 000 soldiers must be deployed along the border and a wall built to prevent undocumented foreign nationals from coming into the country.
“We have a borderless country, people are coming in as they please and the government is not doing anything about it,” he said.
“You need to deploy at least 8 000 soldiers to marshal this thing, you need to build a wall here, we have been failed by a government that is led by people who are not leaders, a government that is led by people who are not decisive.”
Kunene and PA leader Gayton McKenzie posted a number of videos of their activities on social media.
“Abahambe [They must go],” McKenzie told eNCA on Thursday at the river banks of Musina, where the operation was being held. He claimed his party’s members have intercepted close to 1,000 Zimbabwean nationals crossing the river to reach South Africa.
“The bad news is that we do not have a border. We are already in a borderless South Africa. The Patriotic Alliance members have been camping here, making sure they do not return from Zimbabwe,” McKenzie said.
In one of the videos shared, scores of people were seen across the riverbank, some carrying small boats on their heads.
McKenzie said they had intercepted people with illicit cigarettes, dynamite and unlicensed firearms.
“This is a mafia syndicate consisting of the police, the SANDF, local farmers and traffic officials We have been here for days. Where is the police? Where [are] the traffic officials? Where is the SANDF?”
McKenzie said farmers have been fighting with their members asking them why they were there.
“One farmer insisted on taking us to court, I said I see he is taking water from the river and asked him to show his water use licence. He disappeared.”
In a post on X, McKenzie said an illegal foreigner can come into South Africa, kill someone and casually stroll back to Zimbabwe. He thanked PA members for giving up their holiday time to come and stop foreign nationals from entering the country illegally.
