Picture: BMA, X page
In a significant development at South Africa’s borders during the 2024/2025 festive season, the Border Management Authority (BMA) reported that Lesotho nationals topped the list of undocumented persons intercepted at various ports of entry, with more than 38 000 individuals apprehended.
This revelation came as part of a comprehensive report on the BMA’s festive season operations, which showed dramatic increases in both legal crossings and prevention of illegal entry.
BMA Commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato shared the figures for the 2023/2024 festive season, revealing that 58,394 individuals were stopped from entering South Africa illegally.
Among those intercepted, most were undocumented, with the Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber highlighting that approximately 50 000 did not have the necessary documentation.
“The leading nationality is the Basotho nationals. And there we are talking about 38 000 of them,” revealed Masiapato during a media briefing on Friday.
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The BMA’s festive season operations, which ran from 6 December last year to 18 January, marked a watershed moment in border security, with a 215% increase in successful prevention of illegal border crossings compared to the previous year.
Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber highlighted this achievement, noting that while 15 924 undocumented persons were intercepted in 2023/24, this number surged to 50 312 in 2024/25.
Following Lesotho nationals in the interception statistics were “Mozambique, around 6 549, followed by Zimbabwean, which is 3 067, followed by Malawians, which is 987, followed by the Swazis at around 870,” according to Masiapato.
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A key factor in the improved interception rate was the deployment of drone technology.
Schreiber emphasised the impact: “The use of drones at just five ports of entry on a pilot basis made an immediate and visible impact.”
The drones, borrowed from the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, were deployed at Beitbridge, Maseru Bridge, Lebombo, Kopfontein and Oshoek, leading to the detection of 2,188 additional attempted illegal entries and the identification of 2,326 border fence breaches.
During the festive period, the BMA processed over 5 million travellers, representing an increase of 51 680 compared to the previous year.
The authority handled 395 189 private vehicles, 12 974 mini-bus taxis, 6 071 buses, and 58 938 trucks for imports and exports.
Additionally, 9 491 aircraft and 660 vessels were processed through various ports of entry.
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The BMA noted significant shifts in border crossing patterns, particularly at Tele Bridge.
Masiapato explained: “Very interesting, and the question is, why? The reality of it is because we have intensified operations around Masero Bridge as well as around Fixback, but also around Peka Bridge, which they tried to use before. Now they are painting into Tele Bridge. And, of course, that is the challenge with this work. Because once you intensify one area, then they move to the other.”
Looking ahead, Schreiber emphasised the need for increased funding and technological advancement.
“It’s been widely reported that the BMA is underfunded as things stood in the previous cycle by R4.3 billion over the next three years,” he noted, adding that investing in border management has significant economic value for South Africa.
The minister outlined plans for modernisation, including the introduction of e-passports and automated entry systems.
“I think that is very exciting because, as I like to say, you cannot bribe a computer, you cannot bribe an e-gate that looks at the passport, looks at your face and says either this is you and you have entry rights, or you don’t,” Schreiber stated.
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The BMA’s health specialists screened approximately 1 746 560 travellers for various infectious and communicable diseases, marking an increase from the 1 497480 travellers screened in the 2023/2024 festive period.
The authority reported intercepting various unauthorised consignments, including infested beans, wheat, termites, and unvaccinated poultry.
Addressing corruption concerns, Masiapato revealed that “around 56 officials, as we speak, are actually facing serious economic problems, and those processes are sitting at different levels of the processes that we are actually facing. And then, in this particular period, we unfortunately had 10 of our officials that had been fired.”
Despite the operational successes, both Schreiber and Masiapato acknowledged that more work remains to be done.
The BMA is already preparing for the upcoming Easter period while continuing to advocate for increased resources and technological capabilities to enhance border security further.
The public can use the BMA’s operation Hi Tivise number 0801229019 or visit the BMA website’s reporting platform to report suspicious activities or unethical behaviour at ports of entry. Masiapato emphasised that this number is not to be used for vacancy enquiries or other matters beyond what it is intended for.
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