By Akani Nkuna
South Africa’s detected attempted illegal border crossings fell 46% over the 2025/26 festive-season operational period (10 December 2025 to 15 January 2026), with the Border Management Authority (BMA) saying it intercepted 26,852 people trying to enter the country illegally, down from 58,394 the previous festive season.
At a media briefing on Friday, Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber and BMA Commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato said the decline was as a result of tougher, more visible enforcement at ports of entry and the growing use of digital tools to detect and deter irregular movement.
“We have started to see encouraging signs that deterrence is starting to work. During this past festive season, there has been a marked decrease in the number of attempted illegal border crossings. This is an encouraging sign because
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