There is legitimate concern over the arrival of criminal deportees from the US to Eswatini who have been described as "monsters that terrorised communities".
Three weeks ago, US President Donald Trump’s administration announced it had flown five detainees from Jamaica, Laos, Cuba, Yemen and Vietnam to Eswatini. The prisoners were convicted of various crimes including child rape, murder and robbery.
This week, reports emerged that more prisoners were set to be flown to our neighbouring country.
The decision by the Eswatini government to accommodate these dangerous criminals has raised fears of perceived risk to its neighbours. On Tuesday, the SA government expressed its disapproval of the move, citing potential risk to national security due to the profile of the individuals and proximity to SA.
Security experts have warned that most of the criminals could end in SA due to high levels of crime here, and the levels of poverty in Eswatini. What further heightens fears is that SA’s borders with its neighbours, including Eswatini, are notoriously porous, attracting undocumented migrants and cross-border criminals.
It is relatively easy to cross the border between Eswatini and SA without presenting yourself at the point of entry. Despite patrols of our borderlines by the SA National Defence Force, cars, firearms and contraband are being smuggled across the borders. Human trafficking has also been on rise owing to corruption at the points of entry.
While it is unclear how Eswatini will benefit from this prisoner transfer deal, the potential threat to SA’s national security is unambiguous. Eswatini’s prisons are already overcrowded, and the country does not have the capacity of resources to keep such criminals in its jails for long.
Despite claims by the Eswatini government that the detainees would be transferred to their countries, there have been no timelines given. Complicating matters further is the fact that the deal by Eswatini and the US came as the Trump administration placed trade with many African states under threat.
This raises questions whether Eswatini traded its sovereignty to escape high tariffs from the Trump administration at the expense of the security of its citizens and its neighbours.
Whatever the motivations of the US government may be to deport prisoners rejected by their own countries to Eswatini, SA will ultimately bear the brunt of this of its compromised border security.
For SA raising disapproval of the deal with the Eswatini government and its potential threat to our national security is one thing, but taking steps to ensure our safety is quite another.
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