eSwatini border

Golela border post – Photo: Pim GMX / Flickr

Brits illegally enter SA: The ‘where, why, and what next’ for this criminal pair

Two British men who were arrested following a high-speed chase from eSwatini’s border with South Africa, are now facing hefty punishments.

eSwatini border

Golela border post – Photo: Pim GMX / Flickr

They didn’t do it by boat, air or even on foot. No, the irresponsible British “visitors” who illegally entered Mzansi over Easter, made a dramatic break from the eSwatini border in a rental car. Their story has gripped the nation, as a mixture of bemusement and anger sweeps across South Africa.

Brits in eSwatini gatecrash South Africa

The travellers were stopped at a border post, before they ignored advice to remain in their country of origin. They crossed the border into South Africa and found themselves pursued by the police, only to blow them off during a high-speed chase. The men drove for approximately three-and-a-half hours down to Durban.

It’s reported that members from the Vehicle Crime Investigation Unit and Tracker Connect proceeded to a guest house in Umbilo, in Glenmore, Durban, after receiving information of British nationals arriving illegally. The UK nationals are known to be aged 24 and 33 respectively. They will now be tested for the deadly disease which has shut down an overwhelming majority of the planet, in line with current travel laws.

eSwatini’s border breakers: The where, why and what next

Where did the British travellers enter from?

The Golela / Lavumisa border post is located in the far north-eastern corner of KwaZulu-Natal. Its location to the south of eSwatini – and the Pongolopoort Dam – is considered fairly remote. Golela is more than two hours’ drive from Richards Bay, and almost four hours away from Durban on the N2 route.

Although crimes of this nature are few and far between in this part of the world, when something illegal does go down here, the post commands national attention. On 24 January 2018, Hawks members in Richards Bay received information from Crime Intelligence about a truck that was carrying drugs from eSwatini to Johannesburg.

A sting operation was conducted at the Golela Port of Entry. A truck fitting the said description was stopped and searched by the team. During the search, 200kg of heroin powder with a street value of R140 million was found concealed in the false compartments of a truck

Why have they come into South Africa?

Why indeed? At this stage of the investigation, the authorities are still trying to establish their motives. Why they were travelling in the first place – and how they concluded that dodging the cops was the best option available to them – is yet to be revealed. But their decision to flee the police doesn’t bode well.

What will happen next?

The pair have been arrested after they were found in a guest house in Durban. Not only will they face criminal charges for failing to pay for a rental car across the border, but their cavalier attempts to outrun the law and illegally enter South Africa from eSwatini violate the terms of our Immigration Act.

The “idiots abroad” are facing a seriously stiff punishment too. Flouting the laws of this legislation comes with a minimum jail term of three months. But we could be talking years if it’s found that the men were involved in any form of criminal activity. According to the act…

“Anyone who enters or remains in South Africa in contravention of this act, shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine or imprisonment not exceeding three months… Any illegal foreigner who fails to depart when asked to do so can be jailed for nine months, rising to one year if they assist others across the border.”

Immigration Act