Border Management Authority: 2023 Festive season preparedness

The Deputy Commissioner of Operations, Maj. Gen David Chilembe (rtd),
The Deputy Commissioner of Corporate Services, Ms Jane Thupana,
Assistant Commissioners and Deputy Assistant Commissioners present,
The entire border management community,
Members of the media and South Africa at large,

Good morning,

As the Border Management Authority (BMA), we have convened this media briefing today in order to update South Africa and the rest of the world on our planning and state of preparedness for facilitating and managing the legitimate movement of people and goods across our ports of entry and the border law enforcement area as required of us by section 5 of the BMA Act. This message is particularly directed to those who are intending to use any of our 72 ports of entry for entering and or leaving South Africa in this upcoming 2023 festive period.

On behalf of the Border Technical Committee (BTC) of Directors-General and the Inter-Ministerial Consultative Committee (IMCC) on border management, in this briefing, we would like to remind all travelers on the key requirements for entering or leaving South Africa. But, before we start, we found it critical that we remind everyone that BMA is that newly established schedule 3 (A) public entity which officially started operating on the 1st of April 2023 after integrating a number of staff complement from the four government departments of Home Affairs, Agriculture, Health, and the Environment who have been operating at our ports of entry.

Since the 1st of April 2023, the BMA took responsibility for the management of all border activities across the three modalities of land (of which there are 53 ports), maritime (of which there are 9 seaports), and air (of which there are 10 international airports). Whilst BMA took over all port functions, the departments remained custodians of policies and legislative imperatives on border management matters. As we do this work, the BMA operationally report on a quarterly basis to 10 Director-Generals and 10 Ministers sitting in the BTC and IMCC respectively.

Like many other jurisdictions during the festive period, the South African border environment does experience a significant increase in the movement of persons and goods across the various ports of entry and border law enforcement area. As a result, the BMA and all its partners developed a comprehensive plan for implementation during this festive period.

The plan carries four phases and those are planning phase which started on the 1st of October 2023 and would end on 5th of December 2023, Execution Phase would start on the 6th of December 2023 and end on the 18th of January 2024 consisting of both the exit and return legs, the Demobilization phase would be implemented on the 19th of January 2023, and the Sustenance phase would then start from the 20th of January 2024 onwards. Our plan has been presented and remains supported by various structures such as the National Joint Operations and Intelligence Structures (commonly known as the NATJOINTS), the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, and other critical partners.

The development of this plan embraced a bottom-up approach which infused multiple port plans into regional plans and their ultimate consolidation into the national plan. In the implementation of this plan, section 5(c) of the BMA Act instructs us to cooperate and coordinate our efforts with other law enforcement authorities such as South African Police Service (SAPS), South African Revenue Service (SARS) and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), traffic authorities, including border communities and all other relevant stakeholders with interest on border matters.

For better appreciation of the numbers of people we have to facilitate during the festive period, it is important to reflect on the pre-COVID numbers juxtaposed to the nature of the steady recovery after the pandemic. For instance, in 2017/18 festive period, we facilitated about 6.2 million people which included both South Africans and Foreign nationals, in 2018/19 we facilitated about 6.3 million people, in 2019/20, we facilitated about 6.3 million, and then in 2020/21 we dipped to 1.2 million people and that was due to COVID restrictions, and we recovered a bit in 2021/22 period to 1.6 million people.

Then last year in 2022/2023 festive period, we then recovered further to about 4 million people. So, in this festive period of 2023/24, we anticipate a full recovery to the pre-Covid average number of about 6 million people moving through our ports in this festive period. Over the years, our top ten ports of entry which facilitate the majority of the people has always been OR Tambo International, Beit Bridge, Lebombo, Ficksburg, Maseru Bridge, Cape Town International, Oshoek, Kopfontein, Caledonspoort and Groblers Bridge. Therefore, during the development of our plan these realities were taken into consideration especially regarding the need for the deployment of additional human resources.

During the planning phase, we had intensive interjurisdictional engagements with our six immediate neighbours which are Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, eSwatini and Botswana on the synchronization of processes and other work modalities such as specialised port opening and closing times during this period. Whilst some of our busiest ports already operate on a 24-hour basis, the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has already approved our request to extend the operating hours on other identified critical ports for certain dates after we agreed with our respective neighbouring countries. For instance, we agreed to extend the operating hours in the following ports:

In addition, we will be deploying about 380 additional personnel at the selected busiest ports of entry to assist with the delivery of services and provision of technical support during this period. There are also a number of senior members from the Border Technical Committee (BTC) who have been allocated individual ports for their visitation during the identified critical dates to provide support to the operational teams on the ground. After engagement with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI), they will be providing additional infrastructure such as temporary lighting, ablution facilities, special temporary barricades, Jojo tankers for the provision of water to the travellers at the identified critical land ports. In addition, generators with the appropriate un-interrupted power system are well serviced ready to provide required energy during instances of load shedding. We have also deployed additional IT support teams to various ports to immediately address any kind of system glitches experienced on the ground.

During the Execution phase, our primary focus for both exit and return legs is to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the actual port operations. We would also be focusing on curbing illegal movement of persons and goods with specific focus on cross-border organised criminal elements and other general crimes perpetrated in the ports of entry and border law enforcement area. We have put all measures in place to detect and confiscate narcotics, contraband, illicit goods, and even stolen vehicles. We therefore want to urge all travellers to desist from committing any act of criminality as they will be detected, arrested, declared undesirable, and then deported.  

On the corridors leading to our land ports of entry, we would like to urge all drivers to desist from disregarding existing traffic laws, including instructions from the traffic officers on the ground as that has the potential to cause traffic jams which poses serious challenges of traffic flow towards our ports entry.

This has been our common problem in this period particular on the N1 towards Beit Bridge border post to Zimbabwe and also on the N4 towards Lebombo border post to Mozambique. Therefore, drivers are encouraged to accordingly follow the que and in no time, they would be assisted.

On Immigration matters, we would like to implore all travellers leaving and or entering South Africa to ensure that all their travel documents are ready in order to avoid any unnecessary delays at the ports of entry. These include the machine-readable passports, relevant visas where applicable, permits for specified goods, plants, animals, vehicle insurance and or bank authorisation for vehicles for cross-border movement where vehicles are still financed. Further, travellers are reminded that their passports should have at least an empty page in order to enable the BMA immigration team members to accordingly stamp the passports as required.

This message is also relevant during the return leg in January 2024 as all travellers are expected to present themselves at the designated ports of entry to enter South Africa. In case one gets selected for an interview, travellers are urged to cooperate with border management officials. Further, parents traveling with minor children are reminded to carry the child’s Unabridged Birth Certificates, unless the minor child’s details are endorsed in the passport of parents. However, if one parent is traveling with a minor/s in the absence of another parent, a consent letter from the absent parent will be required granting permission to the other parent to exit the country with the minor/s child/children.

This requirement is mainly applicable to South Africans intending to exit the country with a minor child. Further, the Border Management Authority would like to remind travellers that we are in the process of rolling out the installation of the new Biometric Movement Control System (BMCS) across our ports of entry in collaboration with the Department of Home Affairs to replace the old enhanced Movement Control System (eMCS).  The BMCS is a secured contemporary traveller clearing system which requires the capturing of biometric data of the traveller.

On Port Health matters, we need to emphasise that all arriving travellers must expect to be screened on their arrival at the port of entry. The travellers arriving from Yellow Fever endemic areas are required to have valid yellow fever certificates.  Further, conveyances from Yellow Fever and Malaria endemic areas must ensure that conveyances coming to South Africa are accordingly disinfected. Further, travellers should also note that some parts of Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal are endemic for Malaria, therefore, in order to prevent and minimise mosquito bites, travellers are advised to use insects’ repellents, bed nets, wear long sleeved clothes and socks especially after sunset.

In this regard, travellers can use antimalaria medicine such as chemo prophylaxis where prescribed. As the BMA, we would like to urge travellers presenting signs of illness to present themselves or report to the BMA Port Health clinic on arrival at the port of entry or else they can visit their nearest health facilities or their private Doctors for consultation. In this regard, travellers should be reminded to inform their health practitioners of their travel history during such consultations.

For those carrying health-related goods such as food, medicine, hazardous substances, and or cosmetics should make the necessary declarations at the customs counter at the port of entry. As for travellers transporting human remains, including ashes they must be in possession of import or export permits issued by the National Department of Health.

As for Agricultural and Environmental bio-security matters, this festive period is characterised by the increasing volumes in the number of international tourists as well as traders, thus, it does raise the risk for the introduction of alien invasive species as well as foreign pests associated with plants or plants products, animal or animal products and or other regulated goods from other countries. Therefore, travellers are urged to take caution on their luggage in order to ensure that they do not unconsciously introduce alien invasive species into the country. Further, travellers coming into South Africa should avoid bringing prohibited agricultural products, including animal products such as meat, honey as well as other regulated goods.

These kinds of materials can only be imported into South Africa through a proper import permit and should be declared with the BMA Agricultural and Environmental bio-security inspectors at the ports of entry before entering the country. In fact, both travellers and commercial importers should be advised that BMA Agricultural and Environmental bio-security inspectors do conduct luggage and consignment inspections at the ports of entry by means of visual and also through sniffer dogs to ensure compliance with the import permit requirements. Therefore, prohibited products will be confiscated and destroyed, or else be returned to the country of export. Legally, anyone who decide to disregard the law would face a fine of up to R20 000,00 or imprisonment.

Over the years, we have experienced serious challenges during the return leg of the execution phase particularly as some travellers avoid presenting themselves at the designated port of entry and instead decide to illegally enter the country through the borderline. During the return leg of the 2022/23 festive period, we noted instances where some Zimbabweans moved into Botswana and attempted to illegally entered South Africa through the RSA-Botswana borderline in an attempt to avoid interception by the deployed Border Guards in the vulnerable segments of RSA-Zimbabwe borderline. As such, we would like to send a stern warning to all individuals who are planning to illegally enter South Africa through the borderline as the Border Guards, working with members of the SANDF will be waiting for them on the borderline.

Further, the BMA would also like to discourage officials from facilitating the illegitimate movement of people and goods through our ports of entry. We have adopted a zero tolerance on corrupt tendencies amongst officials. Up to this point, we are investigating about 18 cases of misconduct perpetrated by our officials and about 8 officials have been sanctioned for dismissal thus far. Considering the expected high volumes in this festive period, we would like to appeal to travellers to consider using less busy ports of entry where possible, for instance, the travellers going to Mozambique can consider using Mananga port of entry rather than Lebombo since both ports carry almost the same exact distance to Maputo City. 

Although the demobilization would be done on the 19 of January 2024, the overall intention of the BMA is to consolidate the festive gains and adopt the sustenance approach from the 20th of January 2024 onwards. This is meant to sustain our border operations and ensure the sustainable provision and consolidation of border management functions going into the future. Further, the BMA has already deployed members of the coastal guards to the critical areas of our coastline in order to start consolidating our work in the protection of the country’s marine resources.

Further capacity will be deployed in the vulnerable segments of the borderline during the first half of the 2024 when the 400 trainee Border Guards complete their training intervention. Further, processes are underway with ARMSCOR for the procurement of drones, speed boards for the coastal guards, body cams, and other critical tools of trade to enable the Border Guards to do their work better.   

In conclusion, we would like to reflect on some of the key successes of the Border Management Authority since the pre and post transitional period of April 2023. Up to this point, we can indicate that we have been able to intercept about 44 461 individuals who were attempting to illegally enter South Africa without any requisite documentation. We got them arrested, we fingerprinted them, declared them undesirable and got them deported on the spot.

Further, about 100 452 individuals overstayed in the country, we got the hit at our movement control system when they arrived at the port, we then declared them undesirable and banned them from entering the country for the next 5 years. About 98 150 individuals were refused entry into the country for various reasons. Some of them were criminal elements who are listed on the Interpol list for having committed different types of crimes in other jurisdictions of the world.

A total of 2 243 individuals were arrested by the Border Guards for having committed different types of crimes around the port of entry and border law enforcement area. They were then handed over to the Detectives of the South African Police Services for further investigation.  Further, we were also able to detect about 279 stolen high valued vehicles and 1 trailer as the perpetrators were attempting the exit them out of the country. We also handed them to SAPS Detectives for further investigations. We were further able to intercept about 396 blasting cartridges as the criminal elements attempted to bring them into the Republic to be used in exploding Cash in Transit Vans across the country.

At the Kosi Bay port of entry in Northern Kwazulu-Natal, we intercepted 19 Tower batteries and 4 solar panels enroute to Mozambique, we then arrested the two individuals and handed them over to the Detectives of SAPS for further investigations. About 641 kg of dagga was intercepted at our borders with eSwatini and Lesotho destined for South Africa. Our environmental bio-security experts at OR Tambo International working with officials from customs and the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAPRA), detected 8.1kg Rohypnol concealed in a consignment of dried fish. This drug is commonly known as the "date rape" drug used on unsuspecting individuals.

Just last night, a sting operation conducted by the Border Guards, the Home Affairs Anti-Corruption team, and members of SAPS stopped and searched 42 buses at the Beit Bridge border post and found about 443 children under the age of 8 who were travelling without parents or guardians being trafficked into South Africa. We denied them entry and activated the Zimbabwean officials to process them back into Zimbabwe.

This is the summary of some of the key successes of the Border Management Authority having been realised in a short space of time. We however commit to do more and fully address the country’s perennial problem of ‘porous borders’ as pronounced.

Lastly, we noted the policy decision of the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi to extend both the Lesotho and Zimbabwe Exemption Permits to 2025, we will however await an official Directive on the matter from the DG of Home Affairs, Mr Tommy Makhode for our implementation.

As the Border Management Authority, we would like to wish everyone a safe and pleasant festive season. We are at your service,

I thank you.