The Border Management Authority (BMA) unveiled its festive season plan, spanning from December 2024 to January 2025, aimed at managing increased border activities.
South Africa faces complex border-related challenges, including illegal immigration, cross-border crimes, and smuggling of illicit goods.
Key interventions by the BMA this festive season include extending operating hours at major ports of entry over the festive season, deploying 69 additional personnel, and collaborating with Interpol and local law enforcement authorities.
BMA Commissioner, Dr Michael Masiapato, said the agency anticipates facilitating over six million people, a recovery to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.
“Our focus will be the delivery of integrated, effective and efficient processes at the ports of entry, where only legitimate people and goods will be allowed to enter and exit South Africa,” he told the media on Monday.
To achieve this, Masiapato announced that ports of entry and the vulnerable segments of the borderline will be adequately guarded to intercept any transgressor.
In addition, he stated that the agency has intensified measures to detect and seize illicit goods, such as narcotics and stolen vehicles.
As Operation Vala Umgodi proceeds to combat illegal mining activities, Masiapato stated that border guards remain vigilant and prepared to intercept illegal miners who have been deported and prevent them from attempting to illegally re-enter South Africa.
“We, therefore, want to warn all travellers to desist from committing any act of criminality around the ports of entry and at the border law enforcement areas, as they will be detected, arrested, and then deported.”
In response to the persistent issues of food contamination and following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s directives to combat the problem, the BMA has issued operational instructions to all ports of entry.
This directive aims to intensify efforts to detect and intercept any illegal attempts to import organophosphate pesticides, specifically aldicarb, which is banned in South Africa, and terbufos, which has been linked to the deaths of six children in Naledi, Soweto.
“As such, the handling protocols have been given to our biosecurity experts for implementation across all ports of entry,” Masiapato said.
The BMA facilitates the legitimate movement of people and goods through 71 ports of entry, including 52 land ports, 10 international airports, and nine seaports.
The top 10 ports of entry facilitating the most people include key international airports and land ports to neighbouring countries.
These include the OR Tambo International Airport in Gauteng, Beitbridge land port to Zimbabwe, Lebombo land port to Mozambique, Caledonspoort, Ficksburg and Maseru Bridge land ports to Lesotho, Cape Town International Airport in the Western Cape, Oshoek land port to Eswatini, as well as Kopfontein, and Groblers’ Bridge land port to Botswana.
The Commissioner emphasised the need for a robust and integrated border management platform to protect national security, economic growth, and regional economic integration.
“During the return leg in January 2025, we would like to send a stern warning to all individuals who might be planning to try to enter South Africa illegally: border guards, working together with members of the SANDF [South African National Defence Force], will be waiting for them.”
While waiting for the arrival of drones, the Commissioner announced a partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.
This collaboration will involve the deployment of drones to improve border security and enhance situational awareness, particularly in vulnerable areas such as ports and corridors.
Masiapato said the drone operations will be supported by mobile reaction units to allow for quick reaction and apprehension of illegal immigrants and other cross-border criminals.
Shifting his focus to Mpox, he noted that South Africa’s risk classification is currently moderate.
However, Masiapato warned travellers to avoid close contact with individuals showing symptoms, such as skin lesions or muscle aches.
“Currently, there is no Mpox vaccine in South Africa, therefore, travellers are encouraged to remain vigilant against Mpox disease.” – SAnews.gov.za
Watch a BMA outlines plans to secure SA’s ports of entry this festive season related video:
Stunning South Africa:
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Bowler
The Man who could only Drink Milk
I know an old man who had lived a life full of adventure, but his health started to catch up with him. He\’d run the Boston Marathon, was an avid surfer, and climbed Everest, but he\’d started to have abdominal pains around his 85th birthday and went to see a doctor. Sadly, he ultimately was diagnosed with a rare degenerative liver disease that slowly made him allergic to everything he ate.
He kept copious notes, and as an avid gastronomist slowly grew to despair as everything he\’d spent his life enjoying became something he could no longer eat. Alcohol went first, then mushrooms, then bread, then root vegetables, then coffee, one at a time he had to remove them from his diet. The doctor was clear: if he kept eating something his liver rejected the autoimmune response would be quick and severe, and would lead to a painful death. Little by little, everything was taken away as an option, until the only thing that remained was milk.
In some ways, this actually made life easier, because the mental strain of remembering what he could and couldn\’t eat was gone, but then so was the joy in variety. But he took it in stride, and got his own cow and took classes from a farmer to learn everything he could about the only thing that could give him sustenance. And even within milk, he could still have yogurt, butter, cream, some cheeses, and other milk-derived products he hadn\’t fully rejected yet, so it wasn\’t all bad. But then one day a few months later he felt the pain again, and he knew cow\’s milk was no longer an option.
Lacking other options, he tried goat\’s milk, and he was delighted that it worked! The protein structure is just different enough that his body still tolerated it. That bought him another month. And that\’s when we came up with a wonderful plan to go on one last grand adventure around the world. If he could get one month of life out of the milk of every mammal, he\’d actually have a few more years to enjoy life to the fullest and see the world in all its beauty. Each month, we\’d pick a place with a new mammal, and he would immerse himself fully with the locals, learn all the ways to prepare the milk, and just enjoy the hand he had been dealt as much as he could.
We milked sheep in New Zealand. Camels in Egypt. Zebras in South Africa. Giant bats in Indonesia. Do you know how many Peruvian cuy you need to milk to get a single glass? I do. Even as his health slowly faded, he stayed cheerful, and I felt lucky to join him on the adventure of a lifetime. That brings us to today when he got to the very end of his spreadsheet, and declared that he was now allergic to every mammal. He\’d enjoyed his journey, but his time had come to an end, for there was nothing left to milk.
To which I said nonsense, I bet we can milk a few thousand karma out of this post.
Pinup Diva
Thanks for this post – I have had a great time visiting your site and find myself now wanting to physically visit South Africa. Well Done!