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The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes today’s hearing on border security. The briefing by key stakeholders on this important national security issue is a step in the right direction.

However, it became apparent at today’s meeting that the various stakeholders involved in border security all work in isolation. The DA is alarmed by the lack of improvement in the coordination of their efforts, and the disinclination on the part of those involved to take responsibility for the state of South Africa’s border security.

The situation appears to be no better than it was in 2008, when the Auditor-General acceded to a request by the DA to conduct a full investigation into the security of our borders.

The concerns raised by the Auditor General at that time included:

• The state of disrepair of borderline bases;
• Land borders were 71% under-staffed;
• Sea borders were 96% under-staffed;
• There were no permanent staff assigned to air borderline operations; and
• Corruption at border posts was endemic.

It is regrettable that these problems still remain largely unresolved.

We cannot afford for this state of affairs to continue. The DA therefore calls for a follow-up briefing to be held on the state of South Africa’s border security, to ensure these challenges are fully interrogated.