Beitbridge R1bn drug bust shows border reforms taking effect – Schreiber

By Simon Nare

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has hailed the Beitbridge border post drug bust as evidence that the department’s reforms are bearing fruit in the fight against illegal immigration and transnational crime.

Speaking during a Border Management Authority (BMA) briefing on Friday, Schreiber said operations such as the Beitbridge interception were “tangible proof” that reforms were working, particularly efforts to capture biometric data on all entrants.

The BMA on Thursday announced the seizure of a drug consignment with an estimated street value of R998.2 million after a Malawi-registered truck was intercepted at the Beitbridge border post in an intelligence-led operation tracking a vehicle travelling from Zimbabwe into South Africa.

An extensive search followed, with officials “painstakingly dismantling the truck over more than eight hours” before discovering about 713,000 grams of methaqualone, commonly known as mandrax, a key component in its illicit manufacture.

Schreiber praised the BMA, saying the