The government announced on Thursday last week  that it was redeploying members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to patrol the highly porous borders with neighbours Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

According to a statement issued by the Department of Defence, the SANDF will be deployed to the borders, including Beit Bridge, on April 12.

 “The SANDF is deploying from different bases across the country and troops have been mobilized and are currently being briefed and prepared for the journey back to the border from 12 April 2010," the defence ministry said in a statement. “The SANDF is deploying on the borders of South Africa and Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique."

The statement says the SANDF is being redeployed to support other law enforcement agencies currently patrolling and managing South African borders, adding that "over time" more soldiers will patrol the borders, allowing members of the South African Police Service to be deployed to other areas. "We are going back to the border under the South African Border Management Agency that was approved by Cabinet," Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said, adding that the SANDF will help put a “stop to all illegal activities at our borders, from cross-border crimes, criminal syndicates, abuse of poor people and stock thefts”.

A number of Zimbabwean illegal immigrants and smugglers continue to be raped and robbed by organized syndicates operating in bushy areas on the borderline along the Limpopo River.

South Africa, which has the continent’s biggest economy, has over the years experienced an influx of both illegal and legal immigrants from African countries. Many Zimbabweans left their country at the height of the economic crisis for greener pastures in South Africa and it is believed there are over 2 million staying in the country.