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MPs want the army to help with border control because police are struggling to man South Africa’s porous borders.

Chairperson of the National Assembly’s committee on safety and security Maggie Sotyu (ANC) said yesterday the Cabinet decision to withdraw the army from the country’s borders was a mistake and had been premature.

There was an urgent need to bring the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) back to help the police, Sotyu said.

Her committee’s view was based on an admission yesterday by the police that the thin line of blue was exceedingly slim when it came to guarding the borders and they were not coping because of staff shortages.

Senior police officers were in Parliament to brief MPs about progress since the process of police taking over responsibility for ports of entry from the SANDF began three years ago.

The SAPS is expected to take full control of the borders in March next year. This is in line with a 2002 Cabinet decision to withdraw the army from manning the borders and that a newly formed Border Control Operational Co-ordinating Committee (BCOCC) – comprising the police, the SA Revenue Service and the departments of home affairs and health – take control.

A few months ago, the Auditor-General (AG) slammed lax security at borders, saying the police were unable to properly control the inflow of immigrants and track smugglers. The AG noted the borders were porous and required more staff.

Recently, Home Affairs provincial managers told Parliament that some borderlines were not fenced, especially in Mpumalanga and Free State, making it easy for people to come and go as they please.

Sotyu said in the light of the admission by police that they were not coping, the committee wanted the Cabinet to redeploy the army to the borders.

“We have come to the conclusion that we don’t think they are ready to take over the borderlines. They (Cabinet) will have to review our observation that we think it was a mistake to pull them (the army) out and bring in (the police). We don’t think they will be ready on their own unless it can be a joint effort together with defence,” she added.

The ANC MP said she was astounded that although the decision to form BCOCC was taken five years ago, the police still did not have a strategy to control the borders.

She added that MPs from committees dealing with defence, correctional services, home affairs and intelligence shared the same sentiment.