Residents of Manguzi on the Mozambican border are gatvol of living with the constant menace of cross-border car theft syndicates who they say are becoming more daring and dangerous. While Police Minister Bheki Cele admits there is a ‘huge’ problem, locals say police and the government are failing to protect them from heavily armed thugs who lure them to the Umkhanyakude district where they are robbed, abducted and sometimes killed. To make matters worse, the SANDF and SAPS accuse each other of being on syndicate payrolls.