The Border Management Authority (BMA) announced on Friday that it had prevented 50,000 individuals without passports from entering South Africa during the festive season of 2024/25.
Dr. Leon Schreiber, the Minister of Home Affairs, and Dr. Michael Masiapato, the BMA commissioner and chairperson of the inter-ministerial consultative committee on border management, addressed the media in Pretoria to update the public on the results of the festive season operations.
As part of efforts to curb illegal immigration and other unlawful activities, Masiapato reported that border officers took part in 237 joint law enforcement operations, conducted 3,252 vehicle patrols, 4,477 foot patrols, and raided 1,115 hotspot areas in border enforcement zones.
“These operations led to the interception and apprehension of 58,394 individuals attempting to illegally enter South Africa, a significant increase from the 27,005 interceptions in the previous festive season,” Masiapato stated.
The rise in interceptions was credited to the deployment of drones, which were borrowed from the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development.
Out of the 58,394 intercepted, 50,312 had no documentation, 6,159 were deemed undesirable for overstaying, and 1,923 were found with invalid passports or fraudulent documents.
All intercepted individuals had their fingerprints taken and were banned from re-entering South Africa for five years.
Since the deployment of border guards in July 2022, a total of 468,000 illegal entrants have been stopped and deported, according to Masiapato.
The collaboration with the South African Police Service (SAPS) led to 322 arrests, with many individuals connected to crimes such as stolen vehicles, contraband, and drugs.
During the festive season, 19 vehicles, two taxis, one truck, and two trailers were intercepted as they attempted to be smuggled out of South Africa. These vehicles were handed over to SAPS for further investigation.
Additionally, the BMA seized illicit cigarettes worth R690 million, 900 kilograms of dagga valued at over R300,000, and cannabis sticks worth R470,000. Alcohol worth R100,000 and second-hand clothing valued at R70,000 were also confiscated. Other items seized included a diamond detector machine and various weapons.
A significant concern was the interception of 28 fraudulent passports used to impersonate South Africans, as well as 9 fraudulent visas.
Throughout the festive period, the BMA processed over 5 million travellers at South Africa’s 71 ports of entry, a slight increase from the previous year but still below pre-Covid levels of about 6 million.
In total, more than 395,000 private vehicles, nearly 13,000 mini-bus taxis, and over 6,000 buses were processed. The BMA also handled over 9,400 flights and 660 vessels at seaports.
OR Tambo International Airport saw the highest volume of travellers, followed by Beitbridge and Lebombo land ports. Despite a decrease in traffic at Lebombo, Kosi Bay saw an uptick in travellers as people avoided disruptions caused by protests at Lebombo.
The BMA’s comprehensive festive season operation ran from December 6 to January 18, spanning 44 days, and involved intensive monitoring of both outgoing and incoming traffic.
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