Smuggling, corruption and congestion: What you may find at the border this festive season – say Home Affairs

The South African port of entry could see significant increase in traffic this festive season with Home Affairs raising several major risks.

The Minister of Home Affairs and the Border Management Authority (BMA) briefed parliament on Tuesday on their plan for readiness for the festive season and the operational challenges at the Lebombo port of entry considering the political instability in Mozambique.

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Risk profiles

Among the major concerns raised are the risk of congestion, self-repatriation, corruption, borderline transgression, and ICT challenges.

According to Home Affairs, contributing factors to congestion are the outdated and inappropriate infrastructural layout, as well as inadequate corridor management.

Explaining self-repatriation, the department said “travellers who enter the RSA illegally and those with expired visas or have overstayed, often claim to be undocumented while departing to their countries of origin during peak seasons”.

Anti-smuggling

Among the “conceivable” crimes at the border is the smuggling of persons and goods into and out of South Africa.

Smuggling activities are often complex and syndicated as syndicates use various methods of smuggling and concealment individually or through the support of border officials.

Home Affairs said the response to this criminality required coordinated and dedicated operations to disrupt and dismantle the various smuggling syndicates.

It added that the Port Management Committees will collaborate with INTERPOL to conduct joint operations to combat various cross-border crimes including human trafficking, smuggling of goods and humans, vehicles, cash and contraband.

Vulnerable portions of the border

Furthermore, Home Affairs listed the following as vulnerable segments of the borderline:

• Vioolsdrift Qacha’s nek,
• Telle Bridge,
• Van Rooyen’s Gate,
• Jeppe’s Reef,
• Pafuri,
• Pontdrift,
• Beit Bridge,
• Grobler’s Bridge,
• Kopfontein, and
• Lebombo.

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Additional Human resources

In response, Home Affairs said it would be intensifying its surveillance and boots on the ground.

The Beitbridge border post will be allocated 70 more South African Police Services (Saps) officers and six additional SA Revenue Services officials. 20 Cross-Border Road Transport Agency officials will also be at the post.

20 additional Border Management Authority members will be allocated to the Groblersbridge and Ficksburg ports of entry.

“The BMA will also collaborate with the Western Cape Provincial Government and the City of Cape Town to increase capacity at the Cape Town International Airport.

“The proposed capacity augmentation will be +- 60 Peace Officers added to the Immigration stream at the port,” the department said.

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