SA border security tightened up as festive travel season looms

With the festive season fast approaching, the Border Management Authority (BMA) and the Department of Home Affairs have begun preparations for increased traffic at South Africa’s 71 ports of entry as holidaymakers and foreigners living and working in the country embark on their annual travels.

The BMA unveiled its operational plan for the 2024/25 festive season before the parliamentary home affairs committee on Tuesday, 26 November.

Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber. (Photo: Gallo Images / Brenton Geach)

Over the past three years, movement through the country’s port of entry during the festive season increased by 198% compared with the numbers the nation saw during the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.

While the BMA estimated last year that movement would return to the pre-lockdown level of more than six million, the body said that even though movement had increased since 2021/22, it was hard to estimate the numbers this year due to the impending expiry of Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) and Lesotho Exemption Permit (LEP) on 31 December.

Official figures say 90,314 Lesotho nationals are LEP holders while South Africa has 178,000 ZEP holders.

“It is yet to be seen whether the 2024 25 festive season will register an increase or if the elapse of the ZEP/LSP will trigger uncertainty amongst migrant workers leading to minimal movements departing the country,” The BMA said.

Regardless of the uncertainty among ZEP and LEP holders, the BMA’s proposed operational plan will allow for increased movement at various ports of entry, which brings increased operational challenges, security threats and risks.

The festive season operation begins on 10 December and lasts until 15 January and the BMA aims to ensure that “only legitimate people and goods are allowed to enter and depart South Africa”.

To support border operations, additional resources will be deployed. These include personnel at land and other ports that have historically had the most traffic (OR Tambo International Airport, Beit Bridge, Lebombo, Ficksburg Maseru Bridge and Cape Town International Airport), border guards, surveillance technologies and increased patrols by the SANDF, which the BMA acknowledges will increase pressure on designated ports of entry.

Among the risks the BMA highlighted for this festive period are congestion, deportation, the use of fraudulent documentation and inadequate detention facilities.

Congestion is often due to outdated and inappropriate infrastructural layout and inadequate corridor management.

To deal with this, the BMA plans to target inland points of embarkation through intelligence-led operations at major bus terminals and taxi ranks on critical dates.

This will be done to minimise roadblocks and checkpoints close to the ports of entry, disrupt criminal activities before they reach the identified ports of entry, exercise effective control of vehicle and driver documentation and gather necessary border intelligence in support of port operations.

Mobilisation of SANDF and SAPS special units

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will be deployed at vulnerable segments of the border. Four SANDF companies will be deployed at the Beitbridge border to Zimbabwe, the Botswana border in Limpopo, the Oshoek border post to Eswatini and the Lebombo border post.

In KZN, three SANDF companies will be deployed at the Golela border to Eswatini and the Kosi Bay border to Mozambique. Two SANDF companies will be deployed at the Lesotho border, while one company will be deployed to both the Namibian border and the Botswanan border.

Specialised South African Police Service units will be activated and deployed to deal with high-risk and hostile situations by conducting vehicle control points, roadblocks, waylays and observations at strategic points.

The SAPS specialised units will also:

• Conduct intelligence-driven operations to neutralise and combat cross-border crimes;


• Assist with suspect tracing, airborne support and a K9 search and detection capability;


• Unit search and detection capability; and


• Assist with crowd management using Public Order Police.

Intensified law enforcement and traffic law enforcement operations will be conducted in the following problematic road corridors: N4, N1, N11 and N17.

Drones

Some of South Africa’s border environments are surrounded by tricky terrain, which makes it difficult for authorities to patrol the area using conventional means.

To fill this gap, the BMA will deploy unmanned aerial systems (drones) to enhance border security at problematic segments of the border.

The body is also on high alert for “unwanted elements”, illegal migrants and transnational criminals who will try to circumvent the hardened borders by trying to fraudulently gain access to the country at ports of entry that are not as securely guarded.

Drone operations will therefore be supported by mobile reaction units situated at, or closer to, ports of entry to allow for quick reaction and apprehension of illegal migrants and other cross-border criminals.

Additionally, the BMA says drones will improve coverage and provide real-time information to the control operator and mobile reaction units for quicker responses.

Port operational hours

From 15 December to 15 January, operating hours at the Groblers Bridge, Swartkopfontein, Mahamba, Jeppes Reef, Mananga, Sani Pass, Caledonspoort, Van Rooyen’s Gate, Monontsa Pass, Peka Bridge ports of entry will be extended.

While the BMA plans to extend operating hours at Kosi Bay, it said its Mozambican counterparts did not have the necessary funds to commit to the extension of operational hours. The port, therefore, might operate at normal hours. DM