Nelson Simiao Massango was rearrested at a dealership in Sandton.
Image: Supplied / SAPS
More needs to be done to tighten SA borders and ensure that cross-border crime remains under control. This is the view shared by anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee, following the arrest of a known Mozambican criminal and prison escapee, Nelson Simiao Massango.
His re-arrest at a Sandton car dealership this week has once again cast the spotlight on cross-border crime and South Africa's porous borders.
Massango is one of the more than 1 500 prisoners who escaped from the Maputo Maximum Prison on Christmas Day 2024. At the time, his native country faced political and social unrest following the recent elections.
According to reports, he was convicted of murder in 2015 and sentenced to at least 20 years in prison.
Massango, who is being investigated for several cases of car theft in Gauteng, allegedly rented 4x4 bakkies and smuggled them into Mozambique to have them sold.
In a statement, national police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe revealed that the SAPS Border Policing High-Density Team has been hard at work in ensuring they track and trace those who may have made their way into South Africa.
"The suspected fugitive of justice was arrested at a car hire dealership in Sandton. Upon further investigation, he is being investigated and may be linked to several cases of theft of motor vehicles in Gauteng, where he would rent 4x4 bakkies, smuggle them over into Mozambique, and have them sold in that country. INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau (NCB) Pretoria is engaging INTERPOL NCB Maputo on the latest developments," Mathe said.
Nelson Simiao Massango was part of the over thousand prisoners who escaped in December 2024.
Image: Supplied
However, with the country having recently reported alarming crime figures, this has elicited a wave of concerns from South Africans with Abramjee, who said more needs to be done to ensure South Africa clamps down on cross-border crime to prevent fugitives from seeing South Africa as their safe haven.
"The situation of cross-border crime has been ongoing and has been a problem for some time. We know that many people are able to cross the border without proper documentation. Also, bribery and corruption have been rife at our border posts, something the BMA has vowed to stamp out... We also know that the smuggling of illicit goods and people in and out of the country through Zimbabwe and Mozambique has been an ongoing problem," Abramjee said.
He indicated that stopping cross-border crime needs a comprehensive strategy from all stakeholders. This, he said, needs human resources, technology, and other strategies.
"There have to be proper measures put in place ranging from the use of technology to making sure the systems are put in place to stop corruption and bribery as these play a significant role in the movement of illegal goods and people, in and out of South Africa," he said.
siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za
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