The Border Management Authority (BMA) has developed a comprehensive plan to deal with the movement of people and goods across South Africa’s ports of entry during the festive season, using collaboration, technology (including drones) and increased visibility.

“The plans laid out are reassuring that the BMA and stakeholders are ready for a seamless movement of the expected increased volumes of people and goods into and out of the country. The adoption of technology as a force multiplier is a welcomed intervention in the context of the increased fiscal pressures that hinder maximum deployment of human resources to the ports of entry,” said Mosa Chabane, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs.

The committee on 26 November received an update on the readiness of the BMA and the Department of Home Affairs to handle the increased volumes of people and goods during the upcoming festive season.

The committee welcomed the assurance that the BMA will be operating Unmanned Aerial Systems (drones) to monitor congestions, illegal movement of people across the border line and any acts that require interventions. “The committee has been steadfast in its insistence that the BMA must consider such interventions as they will assist the Authority to be agile and respond timeously to incidents,” it said in a statement.

Despite this, the committee urged the Armaments Corporation of South Africa SOC Limited (Armscor) to urgently conclude procurement of the BMA’s own drones to ensure that the Authority has the capabilities it needs to implement its mandate.

Meanwhile, the committee welcomed comprehensive collaboration between the BMA, local law enforcement agencies and the South African National Defence Force aimed at securing the country’s borders especially during the period of increased movement.

“The intention to activate specialised South African Police Service (SAPS) units to deal with high risk or hostile situations is welcomed as it will ensure a safe and secure movement. Furthermore, the activation of intelligence driven operations to neutralize and combat cross border crimes is a welcomed intervention,” the Committee said.

The committee also welcomed the assurance that the BMA is working with governments of neighbouring countries to ensure that movement is seamless and that bottlenecks are eradicated. While the committee acknowledge that the finalisation of the One Stop Border Post policy will be a long-term solution to the movement of people and goods, the efforts to streamline systems between governments is necessary as an interim measure.

The deployment of about 314 additional human resources to various high-volume ports of entry will also assist in ensuring the faster movement of people and goods across the port of entry. The committee welcomed the proactive nature of the facilitation of deployment of additional capacity.

The committee has highlighted the Information Technology downtime as a critical risk that the BMA must monitor and implement mitigating measures to ensure that it does not negatively impede movement. In line with this, the committee welcomed the assurance that the BMA will have a full-time deployment of ICT technicians at the 12 prioritised ports of entry to provide direct support and prevent delays.

Meanwhile, the committee welcomed the swift action by the BMA to secure the Lebombo port of entry during the protests in Mozambique. The collaboration with the SAPS ensured that relative safety is maintained and that minimal incidents were recorded on the South African side of the border. Also, the collaboration between the South African and Mozambican governments must be enhanced especially going into the festive season.

The BMA noted that the South African border environment is characterised by a significant increase in the movements of persons and goods across the various ports of entry during peak periods such as the festive season, often accompanied by various operational dynamics/challenges, including security threats and risks.

The 2021/22 festive season period registered 1.6 million movements at all 72 points of entry, whilst during the 2022/23 festive season a total of 4 million movements were registered. The 2023/24 season registered a further increase of 26%, with 5 million movements at 71 points of entry after Zanzibar port was decommissioned.