Newly appointed Minister of Home Affairs Dr Leon Schreiber announced during his department’s budget speech that the Border Management Authority (BMA) had on 1 June deployed an additional 400 Junior Border Guards.

Having completed their eight-month training programme, the Junior Border Guards had been deployed at “key and vulnerable land ports of entry,” namely Beitbridge, Lebombo, Kosi Bay, Maseru and Ficksburg.

The primary tasks for which the Junior Border Guards are responsible are the “scourge of illegal entry, the smuggling of illicit cigarettes, stolen high-value vehicles, and stock theft.”

The Minister further revealed that the BMA had to date intercepted and deported over 296 000 individuals, “who had attempted to enter the country illegally.” Additionally, the BMA had recovered 303 vehicles which were in the process of being illegally smuggled across the border.

Funding from the Criminal Asset Recovery Account (CARA) would be used to further combat illegal cross-border activities. These funds are currently being utilised in the procurement of “critical security and ICT equipment,” which includes unmanned aerial systems, body cameras, and speed boats, with procurement being done through Armscor.

Minister Schreiber noted that the BMA also faced funding issues, saying “the reality is that the BMA – like Home Affairs itself – is underfunded. If we want to properly manage our borders, we will have to invest more resources in doing so.”