Efforts to combat cross-border crime receive a boost as South Africa and Mozambique Police partner to fight transnational crime

Joint Media Statement
from the Ministry of Interior, Mozambique and the
Ministry of Police, South Africa

MOZAMBIQUE - The Minister of Interior of the Republic of Mozambique, His Excellency, General Pedro Ronda and the Minister of Police of the Republic of South Africa, General Bheki Cele have concluded a two-day Ministerial Bilateral visit in Maputo, Mozambique from 8 to 9 April 2024.

The Ministers meeting was preceded by a senior officials meeting on the 8th of May 2024, led by National Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola and his Mozambican counterpart Inspector General Bernardino Rafael and senior officers from both countries.

The Mozambican and South African officials meet regularly and form part of the Bilateral Technical Working Group which consists of commanding officers from both countries including Heads of Detectives, Border Policing and Crime Intelligence.

Mozambique police and the South African Police Service (SAPS) are both signatories to a Joint Action Plan aimed at addressing transnational crime in both countries and across the region from February 2023.

The Joint Action Plan aims to ensure officials from both countries meet on a regular basis to conduct joint border operations with the aim of addressing amongst others the common crime challenges facing both countries which include a plethora of crimes such as vehicle theft syndicates , drug trafficking and kidnappings.

The Joint Action Plan therefore aims to address and achieve the following:

• Conduct joint investigations and combine intelligence and resources to arrest criminals
• Renewal of joint cross-border operations.
• Combating narcotics, kidnapping, drug and human trafficking as well as terrorism threats.
• Strengthen policing actions to combat transnational organised crime, particularly vehicle theft.
• Repatriation of vehicles stolen from South Africa; in this regard a Task Team is to be established to confirm the exact number of impounded vehicles.
• Senior officials must conduct investigations aimed at identifying and arresting those behind the vehicle theft and other serious crimes.
• Address vehicles set alight in the KwaZulu-Natal province in 2023.
• Tracking and tracing of wanted criminals for extradition.
• Exchange of crime intelligence on criminal networks
• The convening of technical and operational meetings at both provincial and national level.
• Combine operational activities where Mozambique and South Africa work towards joint operations.

It is thus encouraging to note that the following has been achieved from February 2023 to date:

• R98 million rand worth of drugs have been seized
• At least 23 vehicles have been successfully handed over to South African owners
• Joint operations are being conducted and patrolling of hotspot areas is taking place
• Kidnapping for ransom breakthroughs has also been recorded since our February meeting, where a key mastermind has been apprehended in South Africa, authorities believe he is behind a spate of kidnappings.

He is due to be extradited back to Mozambique and the matter is being pursued with relevant authorities.

• Communities living around the Manguzi border post in the north of KZN, have registered their appreciation following the policing interventions that have restored law and order in the area. Through a Task Team established to clamp down on border crime that was established in February 2023, over 140 suspects linked to cross-border vehicle theft syndicates in the area have been arrested.
• Over 64 vehicles have also been recovered.
• Firearms and rifles as well as ammunition used in the commission of some of these crimes in the area, have also been recovered during operations.

The approach and discussion of the issues on the agenda led to the following conclusions:

• Approval to proceed with the implementation of the Joint Action Plan.
• Strengthen the sharing of information through intelligence platforms, fundamentally with regard to transnational organised crime.
• Carry out joint operations and investigations aimed at arresting perpetrators of transnational organised crime and seizing and impounding stolen vehicles.
• The Bilateral Technical Working Group should meet quarterly, rotating between the two countries. This process will allow supervision and monitoring of the implementation of the directives, which aims to strengthen co-operation. The Working Teams should schedule their meetings as defined in the Action Plan, report to the Bilateral Technical Group and the latter, in turn, report to the Ministers.

During engagements, both Ministers have expressed their commitment to support and provide resources to ensure urgent and tangible progress is made in areas of cooperation and collaboration.

The Mozambican Bilateral meeting follows a similar engagement held on 21 March 2024 with Angolan authorities in Luanda Angola which was led by Minister of Interior; Eugenio Cesar Laborinho.

The SAPS management and Police Ministry is convinced that such agreements with regional counterparts will improve the country's ability to combat cross border crimes and promote peace stability and security within the region.

Ends

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