Nelspruit — Mpumalanga's top safety and anti-crime officials want to beef up security at the provinces' borders with Mozambique and Swaziland.

Illegal border crossings, car smuggling and livestock theft between the countries are on the increase because police and South African National Defence Force (SANDF) presence on the borders is limited, said safety and security MEC Thabang Makwetla.

Makwetla went on a reconnaissance trip of over 1 000 kilometres to inspect the border line from Pafuri in the Kruger National Park (KNP) to the Oshoek border post this week.

According to police and SANDF statistics, at least 21 000 stolen vehicles are recovered on the Lebombo border post to Mozambique every year.

They also arrest about 1 500 illegal immigrants trying to cross into South Africa per week.

Makwetla said that the deployment of security forces was "far below par".

"There are no police deployed after the border closes and that makes it difficult to control crime," he said.

Illegal cross-border movement between border communities was also going unchecked he added.

Makwetla advised police to put in a request to Commissioner Jacky Selebi to deploy more personnel.

There is currently a shortage of 60 police and 300 soldiers on the borders.

Group 33 who control security at the border said their figures didn't reflect the actual number of illegal crossings from Mozambique and Swaziland.

Group 33 commanding officer Hein Visser said: "The figures we have are only of the illegals we've been able to apprehend".

Corruption amongst border police and home affairs officials is adding to the problem.

Eleven police officers and one home affairs official working in Mananga, Oshoek and Lebombo border posts are currently involved in court trials.

The officials were arrested on suspicion of helping to export stolen vehicles from South Africa to Mozambique and Swaziland.

The arrests followed a year-long undercover investigation into corruption at the three border posts.