crime
Gustav Thiel
South Africa loses billions of rands every year through the smuggling of illegal goods into the country, but Business Against Crime’s (BAC) initiative to stem the tide is paying off – more than R25-million-worth of goods has been confiscated.
The anti-crime organisation, which was started in 1994 after prompting by President Nelson Mandela but only recently became fully operational, has embarked on a spate of control operations at various border posts to fight the “massive problem”, and to prevent it “from ruining the country’s economy”.
So says Geoff Reich, a businessman committed to the fight against crime in South Africa. “I’ve made a lot of money in South Africa and I want to stay in the country. It is only fair that I put something back.”
Reich is the senior BAC official charged with finding a solution to the problem at South Africa’s borders, including all the major airports, harbours and land border posts.
Margaret Roper, representative for BAC, says the “demands made by the business sector, neighbouring countries, the public and, in some cases, even by members of the political order in South Africa, that border control must be slackened, are the main reasons why border control is in the state it is today.
“Customs and Excise and Home Affairs have been forced to relax certain measures. While these concessions are in place, efficient enforcement cannot be effected, and goods and people are moving freely into South Africa at all our ports of entry. The lack of control over the borders has had a devastating effect on economic policy, crime levels and on revenue collections.”
At a Cabinet Committee for Security and Intelligence Affairs meeting in January, the problem of poor border control was referred to the national crime prevention strategy co-ordinating mechanism. A task team, which included members of BAC, the police, Home Affairs and the Revenue Service, was established to tackle the problem.
The team resolved to find so-called “quick fixes”, which should address issues inhibiting effective border control. These include a communication plan, redistribution of resources, establishing management forums and setting uniform standards.
The team also pinpointed medium- and long- term solutions, which would concentrate on the appointment of various task teams. BAC officials admit that neither the medium- and long-term solutions nor the quick fixes has proved successful.
The planning and execution of “blitzing” operations have been, however, in the words of Reich, “enormously successful”.
On May 14, goods to the value of R4,3- million were confiscated at Durban harbour. Three days later, goods worth R2,3-million, including 4kg of gold, were confiscated at Durban National Airport. These were BAC’s most spectacular coups, but various other smaller “blitzes” around the country also had a measure of success.
“Now,” says Reich, “all we need is public support to the extent that people realise we can combat crime. Solving our border problems will be an enormous stimulant for the economy.”