By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber says the Border Management Authority (BMA) has recorded an increase in the successful prevention of illegal border crossings during the 2024/2025 festive season.
Schreiber was joined by the Commissioner of the Border Management Authority, Dr. Michael Masiapato at the media briefing in Pretoria.
BMA conducted 237 joint law enforcement operations, conducted 3 252 vehicle patrols, 4 477 foot patrols and raided about 1 115 hotspot areas within the border law enforcement areas.
During these operations, the border guards detected and apprehended about 58 394 individuals who were attempting to enter South Africa illegally.
Schreiber said the 2024/2025 festive season marked a turning point in the Border Management Authority’s quest to improve the operations of South Africa’s ports of entry.
“Following the long lead time in setting up a new institution, the past festive season presented the biggest test of the BMA’s ability to act as the single command-and-control structure to improve the management of all border crossings.”
He says in previous years, festive season operations were characterised by fragmentation, lack of coordination, and the inability to adjust quickly to changing circumstances on the ground.
“Thanks to the work done to transform the BMA from an organisation that existed only on paper to one whose impact can be felt on the ground, I am happy to report that the BMA has passed the test presented by the 2024/2025 festive season.”
Illegal border crossings prevented
According to Masiapato, the current number of undocumented foreign nationals blocked from entering the country is more than double the number of interceptions compared to the 27 005 of the 2023/2024 festive period.
“This increase in interception can be attributed to the deployment of drones which we borrowed from the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development. Of the 58 394 intercepted individuals… 50 312 were undocumented (no documents at all), 6 159 undesirables (found to have overstayed in the country) and 1 923 inadmissible (invalid passport, fraudulent visas, no yellow fever certificates),” he said.
Masiapato said intercepted individuals were fingerprinted and banned for re-entering the country for a period of five years.
“Incrementally, the BMA has managed to stop and deport a total of 468 000 individuals who attempted to enter South Africa illegally since July 2022 following the deployment of the first contingent of border guards. Working with members of the police, the border guards arrested about 322 travellers for various types of crimes such as possession of stolen vehicles, possession of contraband, drugs and illicit goods including ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
“Of the 322 arrested individuals, 132 of them were already wanted suspects for having committed various types of crimes in South Africa. In this festive period, about 19 vehicles, two taxis, one truck and two trailers were intercepted and stopped from being smuggled out of the country. The intercepted vehicles were handed over to SAPS detectives for further investigations. Incrementally, the BMA has managed to stop a total of 331 vehicles from being smuggled out of South Africa from July 2022 to date,” he said.
Furthermore, Masiapato said illicit cigarettes to the value of R690 million were confiscated.
Other items included R470 000 worth of cannabis sticks, second-hand clothing, a diamond detector machine, sexual enhancement products and other dangerous weapons.
“Of serious concern is the interception of 28 fraudulent passports that were being used to impersonate South Africans as people move in and out of South Africa, this included the interception of nine fraudulent visas,” he said.
Schreiber said the past festive season presented the biggest test to date of the BMA’s ability to act as the single command-and-control structure to improve the management of all border crossings.
“Thanks to the focus on coordination, technology and collaboration by the BMA, the number of attempted illegal border crossings by undocumented persons that were successfully prevented increased by 215% this past festive season. The use of drones at just five ports of entry on a pilot basis made an immediate and visible impact.
Drones
The Minister says the use of drones at just five ports of entry on a pilot basis made an immediate and visible impact.
The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development generously assisted with the deployment of drones at Beitbridge, Maseru Bridge, Lebombo, Kopfontein and Oshoek. 42 pilots were assigned and effectively operated those drones across the five ports of entry.
This led to:
- Enhanced real-time monitoring of border movement, especially in high-risk areas;
- Real-time responses to attempted illegal crossings and smuggling activities; and
- Integrated coordination between BMA, SANDF, SAPS and SARS, ensuring quick deployment of ground teams.
The use of these drones on a pilot basis at just five ports led to the detection of 2,188 additional people who attempted to illegally enter the country.
Furthermore, the drones led to 2 326 breaches in the border fence being identified and sealed.
Schreiber says this is clear evidence of the impact this technology can have in improving border management, and work must continue to make this a permanent tool in the arsenal of the BMA.
Cross-border movement
During the 2024/25 festive season, the BMA successfully managed the movement of 5 084 251 travellers – an increase of over 51,000 compared to the previous year.
This included the processing of 395 189 private vehicles, 12 974 mini-bus taxis, 6 071 buses, and 58 938 trucks for import and export. Additionally, 9 491 aircraft and 660 vessels were processed.
These movements were generally efficient, with 66% of imports and 74% of exports cleared within 30 minutes – although this is an area that can be improved upon through automated procedures.
This included the processing of 395 189 private vehicles, 12 974 mini-bus taxis, 6 071 buses, and 58 938 trucks for import and export. Additionally, 9 491 aircraft and 660 vessels were processed.