Speaking at the CSIR@80 | G-STIC Pretoria Conference session titled “Building National Resilience Through Home-grown Technological Innovations for Safety and Security,” Masiapato delivered a clear assessment of South Africa’s border challenges and the urgent need to refocus on and re-establish security as a cornerstone of the country’s national development agenda.

“No jurisdiction can effectively develop unless that particular jurisdiction can understand the imperatives of safety and security,” he told attendees.

Masiapato explained that during and after the 1994 democratic transition, the country drifted away from traditional security concerns towards “issues of social security. While that was critical, unfortunately we did too much, to the extent that the reality now caught up with us. That is why we are now trying to reverse or go back to the fundamentals around the issues of safety and security.”

The Strategic Importance of the BMA

The BMA, as one of South Africa’s three primary national (armed) law enforcement authorities (the others being the South African Police Service and the South African National Defence Force) is responsible for managing and controlling the “legitimate movement of people and goods across all South African ports of entry,” Masiapato explained.

It operates across some 71 ports of entry, including 52 land ports with six neighbouring countries, ten international airports, eight seaports, and one “dry port” at City Deep, Johannesburg. In addition, the BMA operates within a 10 km area along South Africa’s international borders, including the country’s approximately 3 900 km long coastline (a 10 km inland control strip and a 12-nautical-mile maritime zone).

According to Masiapato, the BMA’s mission extends far beyond policing borders and controlling migration. Effective border management, he argued, is fundamental to both national security and economic growth. However, “systemic vulnerabilities in our border processes have, for too long, undermined our national integrity,” he said. Manual, opaque procedures have created “fertile ground for corruption, eroded public trust, and compromised our security.”

Digital Transformation as a Strategic Imperative

To address these weaknesses, the BMA is implementing a sweeping digital transformation strategy, which Masiapato described as a “strategic imperative” and a “radical, comprehensive automation of all border processes.”

The initiative is focused on three main objectives:

“Removing the paper: eliminating the physical pretext for manipulation and fraud.”
“Digitised processes: create an immutable, transparent digital audit trail for every transaction.”
“Automated decisions: enforce consistency, speed, and impartiality in line with the law.”
According to Masiapato, the ideal outcome is a border environment that is secure, efficient, and trusted.

One example is the BMA’s work on Authorised Economic Operators (AEO), a system that will register trusted freight operators and allow them to pass through ‘green lanes’ using number-plate recognition and digital authorisation. Masiapato explained that this would not only aid in the fight against corruption but also greatly improve the flow of goods and people across South Africa’s borders.

“Trucks waiting two weeks to cross Beitbridge is not sustainable for trade, regional integration, or the implementation African Continental Free Trade Area,” he emphasised.

Technology and Home-grown Solutions

Masiapato stressed that digitalisation must go hand in hand with investment in home-grown technology. “The minister is a key driving force behind the BMA’s digitalisation transformation. In this a need was identified to work with home grown tech companies and research bodies, such as the CSIR,” he said.

He also warned that an over or total dependence on technology from foreign countries, even those considered “friends or strategic partners”, creates serious strategic vulnerabilities. “Even in that instance, if you happen to go to war and you completely depend on technology from allies, they can simply just shut you down, making you vulnerable to attack.”

To this end, the BMA is introducing several initiatives to stimulate and support domestic innovation and technological development. These include: preferential procurement policies; public-private innovation partnerships; regulatory sandboxes or safe test environments (for local innovators to trial technologies in live settings); and skills transfer mandates requiring foreign vendor contracts to include the mandatory upskilling of local teams.

New Technologies for Safer, Better Borders

Additionally, the Commissioner highlighted a number of technologies already being deployed, including long-range drones for border patrols, body cameras for on-site personnel, and advanced passenger processing systems that screen travellers before they board flights bound for South Africa.

“E-gates are coming, we will be installing some now for the G-20,” he said. Adding, “it is something critical for the better facilitating of people, so that when they get to the port they can be processed through facial recognition and biometric screening before they travel.”

Masiapato explained that this would not only ease the travel experience of visitors to the country, but also better enable South Africa to conduct ‘pre-analysis’ on travellers before entry into the country.

“Before they land you already know who they are, you already know that they are harmless and therefore they just walk into the country.”

Reclaiming integrity through innovation

For Masiapato, digitalisation and home-grown innovation are not only about efficiency, they are about restoring integrity and public trust in the border management system.

“Our mission is to systematically eliminate the space for corruption,” he said. “The current system encourages it. If you wait two weeks at a port and someone says, ‘Pay R500 and you’ll be through in 30 minutes,’ of course you’ll pay. We are changing that.”

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The conference will run alongside the 8th G-STIC Conference (G-STIC Pretoria), marking the first time the event is being held in Africa.

The CSIR@80 | G-STIC Conference will take place from 8–10 October 2025 at the CSIR Convention Centre in Pretoria under the theme “Science, Technology and Innovation for a Sustainable Future.” The conference will highlight collaborative technological solutions for global sustainability challenges in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As such, various government representatives and experts from both industry and academia are set to address a range of topic areas, including water, climate, energy, public health, as well as safety and security.

Safety and Security as the Bedrock of Sustainability

While much of the conference will focus on climate resilience initiatives, health, renewable energy (the green transition), and agriculture; safety and security are set to be particularly pertinent topics at the event. The CSIR itself boasts a long and renowned history with national security and defence research as well as other areas such as agriculture and health. Consequently, for the CSIR to be collaborating with G-STIC offers an opportunity not only to share innovations in renewable energy, health, and food systems, but also to highlight how innovation in security can and does offer opportunities for wider societal benefits through advancing local and global sustainability efforts.

From monitoring and protecting water and energy infrastructure, to enhancing digital infrastructure, governance, and cybersecurity, the ability to keep societies safe is fundamental to Africa’s future and sustainable development. The CSIR@80 | G-STIC Pretoria Conference will put this reality into focus through its thematic content and speaker line-up.

Security Within the Programme

Attendees can look forward to a number of plenary and ‘deep dive’ sessions which directly and indirectly touch on safety and security matters.

For example, one the plenary sessions is themed “Building national resilience through home-grown technological innovations for safety and security.” This session will emphasise the benefits that can be derived from leveraging local skills, knowledge, and technology for enhanced resilience and strategic autonomy as part of a ‘whole-of-society’ approach to national security, industrial growth, and safety. Consequently, the aim of the session is to encourage and enable collaboration, while also enhancing the understanding of the role that technology can and does play in achieving safe and sustainable development.

Additionally, there are two safety- and security-themed ‘deep dive’ sessions which attendees can look forward to. These are “Leveraging technology and innovation for strategic safety, security, and resilience in South Africa” as well as “Invisible threats, intelligent responses: monitoring water for a resilient future.”

The former will showcase how investment in and utilisation of home-grown South African technologies, ranging from secure digital infrastructure to advanced cameras for enhanced boarder and urban security as well as early-warning systems, can contribute to national resilience, safety, and sustainable resource management. It will also highlight the role of public–private partnerships (PPPs) in aligning these innovations with the SDGs. The latter will focus on innovative technologies (such as remote sensing, drones, AI analytics, and advanced diagnostics) that are transforming water quality monitoring and management. By showcasing case studies and scientific insights, it will explore how these tools can enable resilient, high-quality water systems despite climate change.

Key Speakers to Look Out For

One of the highlights of the conference will be the opportunity to engage with a wide variety of government representatives, speakers, and experts. One of the most notable speakers in the safety and security space is Katekani Hlabathi, ICT Manager at South Africa’s State Security Agency (SSA). Hlabathi brings over 28 years of experience and insider expertise on cyber threats, national ICT security governance, and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) projects. Hlabathi is set to present a path forward in securing South Africa’s digital future through Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).

Notably, the conference is also expected to host several senior government representatives such as Prof. Blade Nzimande, the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, who will be delivering opening remarks at the conference’s outset.

Attendees can also expect to engage with a number of other speakers and experts in the safety and security domain during conference panel discussions and presentations. Some of the confirmed participants include:

• Dr Mthobisi Clyde Zondi, CEO and Executive Chair, Sandock Austral Group.
• Dr Moses Khanyile, Director, Defence Artificial Intelligence Research Unit (DAIRU).
• Sujo Mulamattathil, Managing Director, Threeframes/Sparcx.
• Dr Mamela Luthuli, CEO, TakeNoteIT.
• Dr Mike Masiapato, CEO and Commissioner, Border Management Authority, who will deliver the keynote address for the “Building national resilience through home-grown technological innovations for safety and security” plenary session.

The CSIR@80 | G-STIC Conference will not only mark 80 years of scientific achievement but also presents a unique opportunity for African realities, concerns, and challenges to be embedded in the global sustainability discourse. With contributors from government, industry, and academia, the conference will showcase the importance of domestic and international collaboration in science and technology for driving innovative and sustainable solutions for present and future challenges.

For more information please visit: https://gsticpretoria.org/

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