Deputy Minister Njabulo Nzuza: IBM ATA Africa Summit

Speech by Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Njabulo Nzuza,at IBM ATA Africa Summit 

Mr Tony Smith, Chairman of the International Border Management and Technologies Association (IBMATA)
Dr Michael Masiapato, Commissioner of the South African Border Management Authority
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Private sector stakeholders and
Summit attendees
Good morning. 

In the post-apartheid era, South Africa’s conducive political, economic and social conditions have led to an influx in the flow of legitimate and illegitimate goods and people from across the world especially regions where adverse conditions prevail. However, the country’s border management system, of cooperation and coordination between various stakeholders, was not robust enough to circumvent the challenges that arise from these flows and those associated with a coordination and cooperation border management model.  

Since 1994 various structures were put in place for purposes of coordinating operations in the border environment, i.e. Border Affairs Committee Coordinating Committee (1996); National Inter-Departmental Structure (NIDS) (1997); Border Control Operational Coordinating Committee (BCOCC) (2001); and the Inter-Agency Clearing Forum (IACF) (2010).  

However, over time various studies and reports pointed to the failure of these structures to address the systemic and structural problems of the coordination approach to border management. Some of the challenges which were identified arising from this approach included, inter alia:

1. Non-aligned and often poor border control-related service delivery;
2. Ineffective facilitation of the movement of persons and goods (unnecessary delays and cost to clients);
3. Compromised joint efforts and outcomes resulting from different risk management tools and approaches;
4. Corruption and organised crime thriving in a fragmented management environment;
5. Inability to enforce a standard approach in dealing with border law enforcement transgressions;
6. A higher volume of illegal goods entering the country; and
7. Lacking a single management, command and control structure.
    

It is against this background that the South African Cabinet adopted a new policy paradigm of integrated border management and endorsed the establishment of a Border Management Authority (BMA) in South Africa in 2013.  

The adoption of this new approach to border management was aimed at addressing and ensuring the safe and legitimate movement of travellers and goods; the rights of migrants; the country’s national interests; the promotion of fair trade facilitation; and the protection of environmental and biodiversity imperatives in line with the country’s development goals as well as those of the continent and the world at large.  

The BMA was established as an autonomous Schedule 3A Public Entity on the 1st of April 2023 and is underpinned by the following principles:

1. The BMA is outcomes based, i.e. balancing the facilitation of legitimate trade and travel functions, while simultaneously addressing security risks;
2. BMA is established by an enabling Act under a single executive authority as well as a single accounting authority; and
3. The BMA is responsible for border law enforcement along vulnerable segments of the South African land borderline as well as the implementation of frontline immigration, port health, agriculture, and environmental border law enforcement functions at Ports of Entry.

The following benefits are anticipated through the effective implementation of an integrated BMA in South Africa:

1. A single authority structure for border management operations at Ports of Entry and the borderline provides the potential for more cost effective services;
2. Improvements in information-sharing, licencing, accreditation and enforcement will create an integrated border environment intelligence picture;
3. A focused approach to the optimisation of Port of Entry operations and processes will enhance efficiencies and minimise administrative costs and delays;
4. Effective utilisation of financial, human, infrastructure and accommodation resources in the border environment;
5. Improved sterility and integrity within Ports of Entry; and
6. Improvement in the management and discipline of employees with a single line of authority in the Port and borderline environments within a larger command and control organizational environment.
    

Whilst the BMA’s workforce will be responsible for the implementation of border law enforcement functions in the border environment, with the view to addressing the challenges which prevail therein, it is imperative that we adopt the latest best practices on border management and risk and targeting; and also leverage on border technology solutions and systems as force multipliers to our human resources.  

In this regard, global best practice indicates that,

1. A layered approach to border law enforcement risk management and targeting is used in many leading countries to ‘push out’ borders;
2. Targeting capabilities provide a complete view of the border law enforcement value chain, enabled through data/ information/ intelligence, technology and strategic partnerships (domestic, regional, global) at multiple scales; and
3. Targeting centres enable risk-based compliance management.
    

The BMA has started the process of establishing a border environment National Targeting Centre that will be responsible for integrating border law enforcement intelligence and operations and managing border risks holistically. Risk and targeting concepts such as “pushing out” our borders through the use of Passenger Information Systems and the utilisation of biometric data at our Ports of Entry will be central to the management of traveller movement in the BMA whilst other risk detection and targeting systems will be employed for managing risks related to the environmental health, agriculture and environmental/biodiversity streams within the BMA.

Summits and Conferences such as the IBMATA Summit are beneficial for border agencies as they provide an opportunity for “new kids on the block” such as the BMA to gain insights on the latest border management practices from public and private experts across the globe; and offerings with regard to border technology solutions.

As such, we welcome the convening of the first IBMATA Africa Summit in South Africa.