Special equipment will help boost fight to protect SA’s borders

THE Border Management Authority (BMA) is currently procuring specialised law enforcement equipment in its fight against the illegal movement of people and goods through South Africa’s borders.

This comes as the BMA has reported some successes since it was established in April 2023 to enforce port health, immigration control, access control, biosecurity, food safety and phyto-sanitary control, land border infrastructure development and maintenance and border information and risk management.

Responding to parliamentary questions from ANC MP Anthea Ramolobeng, Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the BMA made notable strides to better manage border control and the effective enforcement of immigration laws.

Motsoaledi said some of the achievements in the effort to implement one of the mandates of facilitating and managing legitimate movement of people at ports of entry and border law enforcement areas included intercepting thousands of people who tried to enter the country illegally.

“The BMA, in collaboration with the Department of Home Affairs, is rolling out a biometric movement control system to strengthen detection of illegitimate travellers.

“The BMA have formalised collaboration with other law enforcement authorities to strengthen border law enforcement such as the SANDF, SAPS and Sars as well as co-ordination with other organs of state, entities and communities,” he said.

Motsoaledi said the BMA was in the process of training 400 additional border guards who, after training at the end of this month, would be deployed to some of the identified vulnerable segments along the country’s borderlines.

He added that the BMA was uprooting corruption within his department.

“It has dealt with 57 cases inclusive of those received from Home Affairs and new cases from 1 April 2024.”

A total of 13 officials had been dismissed, 13 cases were scheduled for hearings, and nine cases were being heard.

There had been four appeals. Motsoaledi said the authority was also in the process of procuring specialised law enforcement equipment through Armscor.

“These will be purchased through an allocation from the Criminal Assets Recovery Account.

“The sourcing of these specialised law enforcement equipment will be used in the fight against illegitimate movement of people and goods,” he said.