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The drones, operational since May 1, 2025, are being used extensively along key smuggling hotspots, including the Forbes Border Post, which links Manicaland Province to Mozambique’s Manica Province. The new surveillance initiative has reportedly led to a decline in smuggling activities and an increase in arrests.
The Zimbabwean government has intensified efforts to clamp down on smuggling along the country’s porous eastern border with Mozambique through the full-scale deployment of drone surveillance technology – a move officials say is already yielding tangible results.
The drones, operational since May 1, 2025, are being used extensively along key smuggling hotspots, including the Forbes Border Post, which links Manicaland Province to Mozambique’s Manica Province. The new surveillance initiative has reportedly led to a decline in smuggling activities and an increase in arrests.
Zimbabwe’s Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Misheck Mugadza, confirmed the development and praised the role drones are playing in bolstering border security.
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority’s (ZIMRA) acting Commissioner for Customs and Excise, Mr Adrian Swarres, echoed Mugadza’s sentiments, highlighting the strategic benefits of drone technology.
Police have also seen a rise in smuggling-related arrests. Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka, confirmed the trend, though he said specific figures were not immediately available.
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Meanwhile, authorities are not only relying on technology. A special police task force recently engaged in a fatal shootout with suspected smugglers, resulting in three arrests and the seizure of vehicles and contraband, including bales of clothing and shoes valued at thousands of dollars.
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