Speaking in Pretoria on Thursday, Mozambique’s minister of the interior called for urgent strengthening of regional cooperation and joint patrols along southern Africa’s borders to promote security and curb transnational organised crime, including drug trafficking, car theft and kidnapping.
“Our land and maritime borders must be bridges for development and legitimate trade, and at the same time, they must be insurmountable barriers to crime,” said Paulo Chachine at the opening of the Ministerial Troika Meeting of the Trilateral Planning Cell (TPC).
The TPC is a multilateral initiative established in Maputo by the policing ministers of South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania and backed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), aimed at stemming the flow of illicit drugs along the Southern Route through strengthened regional cooperation, intelligence-sharing and joint law enforcement operations.
To achieve these objectives, the Mozambican minister called for stronger strategic information-sharing among member states.
“Our intelligence must stay one step ahead of criminal activities. We require real-time operational coordination to neutralise the logistical and financial networks that fuel instability,” said the minister.
Paulo Chachine also called for intensified coordinated and joint patrols along shared borders.
“It is essential that our defence and internal security sectors master new surveillance and cybersecurity technologies,” he added.
Attending the Pretoria meeting were also South Africa’s acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia, Tanzania’s Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Professor Palamagamba John Kabudi, Uganda’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Juma Witonzo Kisekka, and Angola’s Secretary of State for the Interior, General Arnaldo Manuel Carlos.
Angola and Uganda have applied to join the mechanism.
Regional fusion centre planned
Photo: SAPS
Firoz Cachalia announced that SAPS is establishing a multi-agency Regional Joint Counter-Narcotics and Organised Crime Fusion Centre to collect and analyse data in collaboration with strategic partners to combat illicit drugs and transnational organised crime.
Once operational, partner countries are expected to support the centre through information and personnel exchanges.
Jane Marie Ongolo from UNODC said: “The fight caused by drug trafficking and transnational organised crime is becoming increasingly complex and interconnected. Criminal networks operate without regard for national borders, exploit vulnerabilities, move illicit commodities and finances across jurisdictions, and continuously adapt their methods to prevent detection and enforcement.”
She emphasised that successful regional cooperation depends on strong national structures.
“As we look ahead at the concept of a regional fusion capability, bringing together intelligence analysis and operational coordination offers considerable promise, but experience has shown that technology and structures alone are not enough. Success depends on us. Success depends on people, on trust, on professional relationships and institutional commitments,” Ongolo said.
The Trilateral Planning Cell meeting was held under the theme ‘Strengthening Transnational Coordination to Better Identify External Factors Contributing to Organised Crime in the Trilateral States’.
#sapsHQ [SOUTH AFRICA HOSTS TPC MINISTERIAL TROIKA MEETING TO STRENGTHEN REGIONAL FIGHT AGAINST DRUG TRAFFICKING AND ORGANISED CRIME]
The SAPS is hosting a Ministerial Troika Meeting of the Trilateral Planning Cell (TPC) in Pretoria today which is being led by the Acting Minister of Police, Mr Firoz Cachalia.
Delivering the keynote address, The Acting Minister of the SAPS, emphasised the importance of regional and international cooperation in combating transnational organised crime and illicit drug trafficking.
The Trilateral Planning Cell (TPC), established by South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania with support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), provides a platform for strengthening cross-border coordination, intelligence sharing and joint law enforcement operations. The proposed inclusion of Angola and Uganda was welcomed as an opportunity to expand regional cooperation.
The establishment of the Regional Joint Counter Narcotics and Organised Crime Fusion Centre by SAPS was identified as a key initiative to enhance intelligence analysis and multi-agency collaboration. The Ministerial Troika was tasked with reviewing progress, addressing challenges, approving programmes of activities and ensuring accountability.
Acting Minister of Police, Mr Firoz Cachalia reaffirmed the commitment of South Africa to strengthening collective action, disrupting criminal networks and ensuring safety and security.
Today’s meeting promotes better collaboration with the regional and international partners to achieve common and desired outcomes. It is a platform that will be used to exchange views and best practices for the purpose of improving transnational coordination, for information sharing and support institutional growth.
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— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) October 15, 2026
Source: Lusa / The National