SA army tells Afrikaner rights organisation to back off border areas

THE South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has told AfriForum that safeguarding and patrolling the country's borders is its responsibility and not for "any other non-State groupings or groups".

The lobby group last month announced that it had launched an initiative to patrol with sniffer dogs the South Africa-Zimbabwe border along the Limpopo River in the Musina area.

AfriForum manager of campaigns Jacques Broodryk recently said between June and September 2021, AfriForum's neighbourhood watch in Musina helped to seize smuggled goods valued at more than R12 million.

In a statement last week, SANDF spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini, however, said the SANDF would ensure that the country's land, air and sea borders were protected and secured.

"The SANDF would like to reiterate what the Department of Home Affairs said. It would be illegal for any civil organisation or non-governmental organisation, including businesses, to conduct patrols at any borders of the Republic of South Africa. It is the responsibility of the SANDF to maintain all borderline integrity of the country and not any other non-State grouping or groups," Dlamini said.