×
App Icon
The Standard e-Paper
Join Thousands of Readers
★★★★ - on Play Store
Download Now

Smugglers and migrants: How S.Africa's border became a hot election issue

Vocalize Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Vocalize

Zimbabwean migrants wishing to enter South Africa queue at the immigration offices at the Beitbridge crossing, on April 23, 2024. [AFP]

As night falls, a handful of South African soldiers slouch under a tent near a crocodile-infested pond off the largely dry Limpopo River separating their country from Zimbabwe.

They are tasked with patrolling kilometres of wild terrain for smugglers ferrying across cigarettes, stolen cars and most of all people.

Premium Article

Get Full Access for Ksh299/Week.

Fact-first reporting that puts you at the heart of the newsroom. Subscribe for full access.
Continue Reading  →
What you get
  • Unlimited access to all premium content
  • Ad-free browsing experience
  • Mobile-optimised reading
  • Weekly newsletters & digests
Pay via
M - PESA
VISA
Airtel Money
Secure Payments Kenya's most trusted newsroom since 1902
Sports
Gor Mahia edge AFC Leopards to win 99th Mashemeji Derby
By AFP 16 hrs ago
Sports
Sawe breaks two-hour mark for first time in marathon history
Sports
Koech, Uganda's Chesang crowned Eldoret City Marathon champions
Sports
FIFA, CAF demand answers from FKF over suspension of top officials