SA Lesotho border fence nicked

[NameOfBeast]

http://www.politicsweb.co.za/politicsweb/view/politicsweb/en/page71654?oid=136868&sn=Detail

"The South Africa/Lesotho border fence has been stolen..."

The South Africa/Lesotho border is wide open, making local residents in the border areas vulnerable to transnational crime - especially stock theft.

We found, during a visit to the South Africa/Lesotho border in the Golden Gate-Clarens-Fouriesburg area, that:-

* the borderline fence does not - for all practical purposes - exist with large parts of the fence and many fence poles having been stolen [see photograph below]
* the SAPS borderline security unit is ineffective because there are too few borderline police - there are approximately 30 police officers to protect 130 kilometres of landward border, that is 1 policeman for every 4.3kms;
* the SAPS Stock Theft Unit is also ineffective - the unit has 3 police officers with 13 vacant posts.

Residents associations are therefore forced to spend hundreds of thousands of rands each year on borderline security, effectively privatizing borderline security on the South Africa/Lesotho border.

http://www.politicsweb.co.za/politi...eb/1/136868/images/Lorimer_Maynierresized.jpg

 

[news24]

About time, I've been waiting for us to have the 10th province.

 

[Kornhub]

All I can say is WTF

 

[Ady]

SA must be the first country in living memory to have a international border fence stolen.

 

[Flanders]

I bet nobody's sitting on the, erm...ground as to which side of the fence the fence went.

 

[Mila]

SA must be the first country in living memory to have a international border fence stolen.

And not know it...

 

[davemc]

The list of government failures is getting a heck of a lot bigger than the list of government successes.

 

[Mila]

The list of government failures is getting a heck of a lot bigger than the list of government successes.

Do you think it is because the Zuma guys is trying to embarras the Mbeki bunch and now we are hearing about a lot of things?

 

[general_koffi]

I'm not entirely sure why we have a border fence with Lesotho to begin with. "Transnational crime"... For God's sake, they're an enclave! A very small enclave with a one-horse town, a Levi's factory, a huge dam (which is basically ours), and a lot of big, cold mountains. And I think we have more than enough domestic crime to worry about in any case.

We should just sign a treaty which gives SAPS jurisdiction in Lesotho (when chasing people suspected of committing crimes in SA), and vice versa for them. Don't we already have something like that?

SA must be the first country in living memory to have a international border fence stolen.

It happens all the time on the US-Mexico border, actually. Border fences aren't usually a good idea. Unless it's so huge, so strong and so well-manned that the term "fence" doesn't do it justice any more, like the wall in Israel, the Korean DMZ, or the one seperating the Spanish enclaves from Morocco.

 

[JHatman]

I wouldn't mind going to Lesotho for a backpacking/fishing vacation. Whats a good spot?

Least I wont have to worry about taking my passport with now

 

[Mila]

I wouldn't mind going to Lesotho for a backpacking/fishing vacation. Whats a good spot?

Least I wont have to worry about taking my passport with now

Such a relief!

 

[Arthur]

Indeed this is a problem. I know it first-hand -- the photo (in the referenced article) is on my farm (Groothoek 105), halfway between Clarens and Fouriesburg. Since 2007 I've had 24x7 guards on the property, necessary after the umpteenth burglary.

It hasn't always been so. Until 2005, we had absolutely zero crime.

 

[Mila]

Indeed this is a problem. I know it first-hand -- the photo (in the referenced article) is on my farm (Groothoek 105), halfway between Clarens and Fouriesburg. Since 2007 I've had 24x7 guards on the property, necessary after the umpteenth burglary.

It hasn't always been so. Until 2005, we had absolutely zero crime.

I feel for you!! I hope something is done soon. I hope you and your family will be safe until then.

 

[Ady]

Indeed this is a problem. I know it first-hand -- the photo (in the referenced article) is on my farm (Groothoek 105), halfway between Clarens and Fouriesburg. Since 2007 I've had 24x7 guards on the property, necessary after the umpteenth burglary.

It hasn't always been so. Until 2005, we had absolutely zero crime.

The sad truth is nothing is going to be done about it and the government (in their wisdom) disbanded the commando system and never replaced it as they said they would.

You have my sympathy, keep safe!