Operations running smoothly at Lebombo border as drones help BMA monitor immigrants trying to enter SA illegally

The Border Management Authority (BMA) says everything is going according to plan amid increased traffic volumes at the Lebombo border in Komatipoort, Mpumalanga.

The BMA has launched its festive season operation, which began on Friday and will run until Christmas Day.

The Lebombo Port of Entry, connecting South Africa and Mozambique, typically sees a significant surge in travellers during the holiday season.

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Recently, the border has faced closures and reopening due to political unrest in Mozambique, leading to long queues of trucks on the South African side and significant traffic congestion.

However, this past weekend, more than 52 000 travellers were successfully processed without major incidents.

BMA managing traffic at Lebombo border

BMA Commissioner Michael Masiapato stated that traffic management systems, including the use of drones, have been effective as the volume of travellers is expected to increase over the weekend.

“We have started [to see] the highest peak in terms of the movement of people out of South Africa in particular. Everything is going well, particularly here at Lebombo Port of Entry into Mozambique.

“We have also seen a high escalation of Mozambicans coming into South Africa, primarily to buy food for Christmas at Komatipoort,” he said.

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Masiapato noted that most travellers crossing the border from South Africa were Mozambicans heading home.

“We do not have a lot of South Africans who are crossing into Mozambique, and we understand it is because of the political unrest challenges on the Mozambican side,” the commissioner said.

He emphasised that operations were running smoothly, with the backlog on the N4 cleared.

“We have been able to process more than 1 000 trucks that moved out of South Africa to Mozambique, so up to this point, everything is going according to plan.”

BMA enhances security at Lebombo border

Masiapato informed SABC News that the BMA had processed around 19 000 travellers over the past two days.

The authority is collaborating with law enforcement agencies to prevent illegal entry into the country and has deployed additional border patrol guards to handle access control.

“We do monitor the borderline, but there we work with our colleagues from the South African National Defence Force in making sure that nobody attempts to exit or enter the country illegally,” the commissioner said.

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He also warned that those violating immigration rules would face a five-year ban.

“For people who don’t have documents, for instance, even exiting the country on the borderline is an illegal attempt.

“They need to come into the port, they need to declare themselves, and we need to declare them undesirable for five years before we allow them to exit the country.”

Technology used in monitoring border activities

The deployment of drones has played a crucial role in managing traffic at the border.

“They actually help us to make sure that we pick up drivers, for instance, who don’t follow the queue and seek to cause chaos on the N4 corridor.

“That’s why up to this point, you will see that the corridor is fairly cleared [and] it is on the basis that we are able to monitor all the activities on that particular stretch.

“In terms of the deployment on the borderline, we haven’t seen much of a challenge where people are trying to exit or enter the country illegally.”

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