PODCAST: Minister Aaron Motsoaledi hits back at border posts closure critics
President Cyril Ramaphosa recently announced the closure of 20 land borders in a bid to limit the spread of the coronavirus. In this 702fm conversation with Minister of Home Affairs Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Professor Jo Vearey explains why shutting borders is not a helpful response to Covid-19.
The Home Affairs minister says only 27% of the people who congregated at Beitbridge Border post were returning for work.
Lack of planning and foresight has been blamed for the chaos at the Beitbridge border post.
The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs visited the border post and blamed the Department of Home Affairs for not planning for the busy period.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the closure of 20 land borders in a bid to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
Bongani Bingwa talks to Home Affairs Dr Aaron Motsoaledi about the closure of borders.
When we close borders we are not only stopping people from coming here, we are also discouraging the movement of South Africans to other countries.
Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Home Affairs
Minister Motsoaledi says of the people who congregated at Beitbridge Border post, only 27% were returning for work.
According to me, when I analyse them (experts) they always take a view that somehow it is a God-given right for every other country in the continent to create problems and it’s the obligation of South Africa to be the only one that solves them.
Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Home Affairs
We have figures for the number of people who left in December. The multitude you saw there are people running away from Zimbabwe.
Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Home Affairs
People are forgetting that our economy is also in doldrums, we can’t sit here and pretend that South Africa is living in some heaven and it has everything.
Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Home Affairs
Meanwhile, the African Centre for Migration and Society Associate Professor Jo Vearey says shutting borders is not helpful.
I don’t believe shutting borders is the solution rather we need to be streamlining the way people move.
Jo Vearey, Associate Professor – African Centre for Migration and Society
Listen to the full interview below…
[This podcast was originally broadcast by 702.fm on 13 January 2021 under the same title: Minister Aaron Motsoaledi hits back at border posts closure critics.]
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