Home Affairs to secure borders with these new BMA advancements

The Border Management Authority (BMA) will get a technological boost just before the Easter weekend.

Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber and BMA officials unveiled a new range of surveillance technology to enhance security on Thursday.

The new additions will enhance an already tech-friendly agency as it prepares for a massive increase in border activity.

Live camera footage for BMA

More than two years in the making and at a cost of R150 million, the BMA received 40 body-worn cameras and a set of drones to monitor border operations.

The cameras, which will be deployed at BMA offices, OR Tambo International Airport, and the Ficksburg and Maseru border posts, allow control room observers to view live footage from the BMA officers.

The centralised BMA control room can access live feeds from the ground, track the location of officers and use recordings to improve operational efficiency.

“We can talk to the person there, can see what the person sees, and we can also pinpoint their movements,” said BMA Deputy Assistant Commissioner Rudzani Mphilo.

The camera can be identified by a flashing green light, which turns red when recording. It also has a panic button to alert the control room when assistance is needed.

“This will go a long way in ensuring the safety of our employees and further to ensure we are transparent as we manage operations across all outports,” stated BMA Commissioner and CEO Michael Masiapato.

More than 1 million crossings expected

BMA officials stated that between 26 March to 4 April, the entity registered 1.1 million border movements, up from the previous year.

A similar volume is expected this year, but the successes of the December period have left the minister confident.

“Data shows that when we first trialled the use of drones over the festive season, the number of attempted illegal crossings that were successfully prevented increased by 215%,” stated Schreiber, confirming that this technology will now be a permanent feature of border management.

The drones can give the BMA a real-time aerial view of border activity and come with AI-assisted object recognition, thermal cameras that read heat signatures, and the ability to lock onto and trace targets.

In optimum conditions, the drone can reach an altitude of 7km, and the camera can view up to 20km to the horizon.

No Sita or GNU concerns

Connectivity reliability was questioned, but the ministers said this issue had been overcome despite challenges with the State Information and Technology Agency (Sita).

“The connectivity problems you are talking about [are] a consequence of a model built around Sita [State Information Technology Agency], that centralises procurement of technology,” said Schreiber.

He blamed Sita for the issues faced by multiple government departments, but thanked fellow Democratic Alliance minister Solly Malatsi for his work in trying to modernise Sita.

“The reasons why we have paper dockets in Saps [South African Police Service], the reason why we have paper dockets in health, the reason why we have paper visas in home affairs, in a large part, is because of that entity.”  

Questioned on whether fiction between the ANC and DA within the government of national unity (GNU)  could stall departmental reforms, he stated his commitment to the cause.

“Let me tell you one thing, I’m not stopping working until someone drags me kicking and screaming out of work. That I can assure you,” Schreiber said.

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