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Angola and Uganda have joined South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania in a regional effort to combat drug trafficking and organised crime. The announcement follows a three-day meeting in Pretoria, where police chiefs and ministers agreed to strengthen intelligence sharing and coordinate cross-border operations.
#PoliceMinistry [SOUTH AFRICA AND MOZAMBIQUE REAFFIRM COMMITMENT TO STRENGTHENING COOPERATION AGAINST TRANSNATIONAL ORGANISED CRIME] The full complement of the South African Police Service (#SAPS) Ministry held a bilateral meeting with the Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Mozambique, Honourable Paulo Chachine, to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the fight against transnational organised crime. The meeting was attended by the Acting National Commissioner of the SAPS, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane; the Deputy National Commissioner of the Mozambican Police, General Fabiõ; and senior officials from both countries. The bilateral meeting followed the Ministerial Troika meeting of the Trilateral Planning Cell (TPC), held yesterday, which brought together South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania. That meeting resolved to extend the TPC’s membership to include Angola and Uganda, broadening the framework for regional cooperation against transnational organised crime. In their opening remarks, both Ministers reaffirmed the importance of strengthened cooperation and coordination between South Africa and Mozambique in safeguarding the safety and security of their respective citizens. The meeting received a report on the operational work undertaken by the various work streams, outlining progress achieved, challenges encountered and areas requiring further intervention. The Ministers endorsed and adopted the report, reaffirming their commitment to addressing identified challenges and advancing the implementation of agreed activities. In closing, the Ministers acknowledged and commended the dedication and hard work of the operational teams. They further emphasised the importance of building and sustaining strong working relationships between the law enforcement agencies of the two countries to enhance coordination, strengthen the collective response to organised crime and promote security across the region. ME https://t.co/8n4tEXuRsd — SA Police Service (@SAPoliceService) October 16, 2026
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia says criminal networks operate across borders, requiring law enforcement agencies to work more closely to disrupt their activities and bring suspects to justice.
#sapsHQ [ANGOLA AND UGANDA JOIN REGIONAL EFFORTS TO COMBAT DRUG TRAFFICKING AND TRANSNATIONAL ORGANISED CRIME] The Trilateral Planning Cell (TPC) welcomes the expansion of regional cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking and transnational organised crime, with Angola and Uganda joining South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania in strengthening collective law enforcement efforts. The inclusion of the two countries seeks to strengthen regional capacity to address the growing threat posed by the manufacturing, trafficking and distribution of illicit drugs along the Southern Route, while disrupting the criminal networks that facilitate these activities across national borders. Held under the theme “Strengthening Transnational Coordination to Better Identify External Factors Contributing to Organised Crime in the Trilateral States”, the TPC Ministerial TROIKA Meeting took place in Pretoria over three days. It brought together Ministers, Police Chiefs and key regional and international experts to deliberate on collaborative strategies, share best practices and strengthen coordinated responses to drug trafficking and transnational organised crime. The expansion of the TPC reflects a shared commitment and collective responsibility among participating countries to prevent and combat organised crime, disrupt criminal networks and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice. Established in 2019, the TPC mechanism has recorded significant successes in the region, including the discovery of clandestine drug laboratories, the seizure of illicit drug consignments and the arrest of suspects linked to organised criminal activities. Speaking during the meeting, Acting Minister of Police, Mr Firoz Cachalia, commended participating countries for their continued commitment to regional cooperation, particularly through intelligence sharing and the exchange of time-sensitive information to strengthen law enforcement interventions against organised criminal syndicates. Minister Cachalia emphasised that effective cooperation, coordinated planning and timely information sharing are essential to dismantling criminal networks that exploit national borders to conduct illicit activities. “The expansion of the Trilateral Planning Cell demonstrates our collective resolve to confront organised crime through a coordinated regional response. Criminal networks operate across borders, and our law enforcement agencies must be equally connected, responsive and decisive. Through strengthened police-to-police cooperation, intelligence sharing and joint planning, we can improve our ability to identify criminal networks, disrupt their operations and bring those responsible to justice. “The Ministerial TROIKA provides an important platform for participating countries to assess progress, identify operational challenges and agree on priority interventions. These include combating illicit drug trafficking, kidnapping, vehicle theft, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, financial and environmental crimes, as well as terrorism. We must strengthen the real-time exchange of information to ensure that our responses are proactive, coordinated and effective,” said Minister Cachalia. A new framework for cooperation was developed to enhance transnational collaboration among TPC member countries. The framework seeks to facilitate direct police-to-police engagements, enable the timely exchange of operational intelligence, strengthen the profiling of drug trafficking syndicates and improve the detection of illicit drugs and associated criminal activities, particularly at border points. The Ministerial TROIKA Meeting also concluded with discussions on a proposed joint initiative between South Africa and Mozambique to establish a Regional Joint Counter-Narcotics and Organised Crime Fusion Centre. The proposed centre aims to strengthen information sharing, improve intelligence coordination and enhance joint responses to organised criminal networks operating across national borders. The meeting was attended by the Acting Minister of Police, Mr Firoz Cachalia, together with the Deputy Ministers of Police, Dr Polly Boshielo and Mr Cassel Mathale. They hosted the Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Mozambique, Hon. Paulo Chachine; the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office of the Republic of Tanzania, Professor Palamagamba John Kabudi; the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uganda, Hon. Juma Witonzo Kisekka; and the Secretary of State of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Angola, General Arnaldo Manuel Carlos. ME https://t.co/W4fOKtng2b — SA Police Service (@SAPoliceService) October 16, 2026
Police spokesperson, Colonel Amanda van Wyk says, “The inclusion of the two countries seeks to strengthen regional capacity to address the growing threat posed by the manufacturing, trafficking and distribution of illicit drugs along the Southern Route, while disrupting the criminal networks that facilitate these activities across national borders.”
