Border management has been a “misunderstood” and “strategically neglected” space in the South African landscape, according to South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA) Commissioner, Dr Mike Masiapato.
Masiapato was speaking during the Border Management Conference held at Pretoria’s CSIR International Convention centre on 19 November. Building on the successes of last year’s conference, the BMA highlighted how technology, collaboration, and institutional reforms are reshaping the country’s border management environment to bolster national security, advance regional integration, and foster economic development.
Masiapato argued that South Africa’s borders had historically been operationally fragmented and underprioritised, resulting in systemic inefficiencies, grey areas of accountability and opportunities for corruption and criminal exploitation.
He emphasised that modern border management must be viewed as an integrated ecosystem, not only encompassing land ports of entry, but also maritime, aviation and borderland spaces. He pointed to ongoing efforts to introduce advanced non-intrusive inspection systems, improved surveillance tools, and digital platforms to enhance situational awareness and operational effectiveness.
While acknowledging progress, most notably the successful ‘time-study’ at the Oshoek Border Post (M17 corridor) which saw crossing times reduced from an average of 9 hours to just 20 minutes, Masiapato stressed that technology alone would not fix structural challenges, pointing out the need for ethical leadership, stronger internal controls, and a unified organisational culture across the Authority.
As such Masiapato outlined the five priorities set by Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber to drive the BMA’s revitalisation of the South African border environment. These include the adoption of new digital technologies and tools, rethinking of business processes and operational models, improving customer experience, leveraging data analytics for decision making, and changing organisational culture and mindset.
Schreiber, for his part, took the conference as an opportunity to reflect on the practical challenges faced by the BMA and tangible progress made, since he and the Government of National Unity came into office, reminding attendees of the collective vision outlined during the 2024 conference: “to build secure borders for development through partnership and technological advancement.”
Schreiber emphasised that collaboration is not optional but fundamental to border reform. “Coordination with different stakeholders is embedded into the founding DNA of the BMA,” he said, adding that the Authority was created “to overcome the fragmentation that has long undermined efforts to improve border management processes,” adding: “The good news is that that spirit did not end when this institution was formed, it continues to grow and thrive as the BMA journeys towards its destination of implementing modern, efficient, and secure border management processes.”
Particularly notable was his insistence that the BMA’s work must remain grounded in real operational challenges. “Our job is not pontificating and have big theories and ideologies; we have to solve practical problems. How do we get our exports out of the country, how do we get critical imports into the country, how do we prevent illicit trade, how do we combat illegal immigration, these are practical real on-the-ground problems.”
Additionally, Schreiber highlighted the progress made on the legislative front. “Another critical step towards collaboration to strengthen border management came through the recent passage of the One-Stop Border Post bill by the National Assembly,” he said. The bill, he contended, “holds the key to taking our commitment to collaboration international and into the regional space.”
Parallel to the bill, the BMA is “advancing Public-Private Partnerships to physically rebuild border posts at Beitbridge, Lebombo, Kopfontein, Maseru Bridge, and Ficksburg,” which he said are being “designed from the ground up for the latest technology.”
“These one-stop border posts have the potential to unlock enormous economic potential for our country and for our region,” Schreiber said.
Schreiber also emphasised the tangible progress made in terms of digital security, noting that the rollout of modern digital systems has become the cornerstone of South Africa’s immigration overhaul. “The BMA has used the last year to lay the foundation to automate, digitise, and secure South Africa’s immigration process. Let me say this, ladies and gentlemen, this is how we solve illegal immigration, this is how we do it.”
Schreiber took particular pride in the successful rollout of the Electronic Travel Authorisation’s (ETA’s) first phase at Cape Town and O R Tambo International Airports, calling the results “incredible.” To date over 10 000 ETA applications have been approved, he said, while “hundreds of applications have been rejected because the system is able to identify fraudulent passports and people using other people’s passports much more effectively than human eyes ever could.”
Schreiber stressed that the move to a biometric, AI-driven system marks a vital step forward: “Ladies and gentlemen, that is a revolution, that is the foundation of national security.”
Schreiber promised that, “we will make sure that no foreigner is ever again allowed into our country without providing us secure biometrics and critical information. It frankly boggles the mind that South Africa has for so long allowed people to come into our country without providing the same biometric information that South African citizens already provide to the population register.”
Both Schreiber and Masiapato assured those in attendance that the results of digital transformation are already visible, with Schreiber confirming a “66% increase in illegal border crossing interceptions.” While they acknowledged that the BMA continued to face “major funding constraints” and still requires physical capacity to complement technology, Schreiber insisted that the work being done “is proving to be a catalyst for progress, placing South Africa on a path towards a more secure, more efficient, and more development-orientated border operations.”
