Africa-Press – Eswatini. Security at Mzansi’s borders has been beefed up for the festive season.
This as the Border Management Authority (BMA) has confirmed that 72 ports of entry have been capacitated with additional resources. At the same time more than 380 officials have been deployed at the ports.
This deployment to intensify operations and facilitate movement, happens at the peak period of the festive season when many will be making their way back home.
Last year in 2022/2023 festive period, BMA facilitated about 4 million people, however authorities are expecting that this number my rise this year.“In this festive period of 2023/24, we anticipate the average number of about 6 million people moving through our ports. The BMA is on the ground with IT systems fully functional to speedily process legitimate travellers.
“We are coordinating 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,” BMA said.According to BMA Commissioner Michael Masiapato, they have engaged with South Africa’s six immediate neighbouring countries on the “synchronisation of processes and other work modalities” including working hours.
These countries include, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, eSwatini and Botswana.
“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 on certain dates that we agreed with our immediate neighbouring countries,” he said.
Recently about 42 buses carrying passengers from Zimbabwe were turned away at the Beitbridge border.
Four hundred and forty-three unaccompanied children under the age of eight were among the passengers, according to Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi.
It was suspected that the children were abducted. Motsoaledi praised the good work by the Border Management Authority (BMA) following a successful sting operation at Beitbridge Port of Entry on Saturday night, 2 December.
Taking this into account, Masiapato has emphasised that the BMA will curb illegal movement of persons and goods with specific focus on cross-border organised criminal elements and other general crimes committed in the ports of entry and border law enforcement areas.
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