Zimbabwe: Exiles lash out as SA plans to redeploy army border patrols

30 July, 2009 in South Africa, Zimbabwe

source: SW Radio Africa
By Alex Bell
29 July 2009

The Zimbabwe Exiles Forum (ZEF) has lashed out at the South African government’s plan to redeploy the army to patrol the border with Zimbabwe, saying the move will pose a serious risk to Zimbabwean exiles still fleeing the country.

The proposed move follows a recent tour of South Africa’s borders with Lesotho and Zimbabwe by members of the country’s main opposition, the Democratic Alliance (DA). The DA officials found that large stretches of the border fencing had been stolen, flattened or cut open. They also found an almost complete absence of police officers, who are supposed to guard the borders. The officials expressed concern about the movement of criminal syndicates over the unguarded borders, as well as the threats of poachers and disease already causing problems for South African farmers. The party, shortly after the visit, called for a concrete plan to deploy the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to [continue reading]

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