By Akani Nkuna
The Border Management Authority has commemorated its second anniversary by unveiling a reinforced strategy to enhance border security.
With renewed focus on strategic enforcement and collaboration, the authority aims to strengthen border control measures for a safe and more secure South Africa.
“As we gather here today, we are reminded of the complexities and challenges of managing borders in the 21st century. The world is becoming increasingly interconnected, and the movement of people, goods and services across borders is on the rise.
“This presents both opportunities and challenges for Border Management Authority and for our stakeholders,” BMA Commissioner Michael Masiapato told reporters.
Ahead of the G20 Summit in South Africa in November this year, the BMA in collaboration with Brand South Africa and the Institute for Global Dialogue (IGB), hosted a colloquium on immigration and border security in Pretoria on Tuesday.
The event brought together experts and academics in border security, immigration and foreign policy to share insights. The BMA emphasised that these contributions were vital in advancing its mission of securing borders to drive national development.
“The Border Management Authority primarily exists to secure South Africa’s borders and concurrently facilitate legitimate movement of people and goods in all ports of entry and border law enforcement areas,” said Masiapato.
He further said that the BMA played a crucial role in driving economic growth and development by facilitating the smooth movement of people, goods and services across borders while ensuring the safety and security of the country.
According to Masiapato, since BMA’s establishment in April 2023 it has strengthened border security through key operational successes, efficiently managed peak travel seasons, facilitating high-profile events like the BRICS Summit and intercepting over 460,000 illegal entries.
The BMA has intercepted 720 fraudulent documents, 5505kg of dagga worth over R9.3 million, 323 stolen vehicles and counterfeit goods valued at over R717 million. It also screened millions of travellers for diseases and confiscated illegal agricultural products for destruction.
“[We have] arrested 2344 of wanted criminals (of this number 893 linked to other crimes and 1451 linked to the contraventions of immigration related laws), confiscated over 262 explosives used to explode cash-in-transit vehicles and also used in the explosion of rocks during illegal mining operations,” Masiapato added.
Implementing border security and migration laws while addressing humanitarian concerns was a complex challenge, Masiapato told the event.
It demanded a careful balance between enabling lawful trade and travel while tackling irregular immigration, transnational crime and terrorism.
“… we still face very serious challenges in doing this work. Illegal migration, human trafficking and transnational organised crime continue to pose serious threats to our national security and public safety,” he said.
Brand SA CEO Neville Matjie said that immigration policies and procedures were often a foreigner’s first interaction with a country and reflected the country’s national identity of fairness, transparency and inclusivity.
“Immigration plays a central role in shaping this national identity and how we manage and align our immigration processes with a broader image we want to project is of paramount importance,” he said.
Institute of Global Dialogue executive director Philani Mthembu said the intercontinental movement of people did not constitute a dilemma, however, “it is important that the movement of people is managed and documented”.
“It does allow states to plan, to understand what is happening within their respective territories and how it relates to their neighbours. And that requires a multi-dimensional approach that understands also the nexus between border management and trade.”
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