The National Treasury has told Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber that the sluggish economic growth negatively impacts their ability to fund the protection of borders.
•    The Border Management Authority faces a budget shortfall of R4.3 billion over the medium-term expenditure framework.
•    According to Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber, the country's weak economic growth has meant less money for the BMA.
•    Despite the budget concerns, the BMA continues to operate, stopping thousands who want to cross into SA illegally.
South Africa's premier border enforcement agency faces a R4.3 billion budget shortfall as the National Treasury cannot fund the protection of the country's borders.

Bean counters at the National Treasury have told Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber that the sluggish economic growth negatively impacts their ability to fund the protection of borders.

This has now forced the Border Management Authority (BMA) to forge stronger relations with other law enforcement agencies to protect the country's extensive border line.

In response to a written parliamentary question from ActionSA MP Lerato Ngobeni, Schreiber said the BMA Operation Unit has conducted a comprehensive analysis of the border enforcement area.

This is to pinpoint high-risk zones that require increased resources to prevent the illegal movement of goods and people, he said.

Schreiber added:
In response to these findings, some resources have been strategically redirected to these critical areas with the goal of mitigating identified risks. However, it is crucial to highlight that significant underfunding of the BMA continues to hinder its capacity to effectively fulfil its mandate of ensuring national security.

Schreiber has said despite the lack of resources, law enforcement agencies are pulling together.
"In the discussion between the Border Management Authority (BMA) and the National Treasury, a significant issue highlighted with regards to prioritising the funding of BMA is the challenges posed by a constrained fiscal environment. Furthermore, National Treasury has stated that the lack of economic growth and financial stability had a negative impact on the available resources which significantly limits the ability to prioritise funding for the BMA," he said.

On top of the strategic reallocation of resources, the BMA has strengthened collaboration with other border law enforcement entities through joint operations.

"This increased cooperation aims to enhance visibility and presence in vulnerable areas, thereby bolstering overall border security efforts. Despite these initiatives, ongoing resource constraints remain a challenge that must be addressed to ensure the BMA can fully deliver on its responsibilities," he said.

At a press briefing on Monday, BMA commissioner Michael Masiapato said South Africa is confronted with a range of complex border-related challenges.

These include illegal migration, sophisticated cross-border crimes, and the smuggling of illicit goods into the country.
"All these realities continue to strain our meagre resources, undermine our national security, economic growth and the zeal for the realisation of regional economic integration. It is for these reasons that South Africa and its neighbouring countries need to establish a robust and integrated resourced border management platform free from criminal activities.

"The BMA is responsible for the facilitation and management of the legitimate movement of people and goods through our 71 ports of entry, of which 52 are land ports of entry, 10 international airports and nine seaports. In this case, our responsibilities include the management of immigration functions, agricultural biosecurity, environmental biosecurity, port health, and general border law enforcement functions, including access control into the ports of entry. These functions extend to include the border law enforcement area which is defined as 10km inside the internationally recognised border line," he said.

Masiapato said the BMA's focus will be the delivery of integrated, effective and efficient processes at the ports of entry.
He stressed that only legitimate persons and goods would be allowed to enter and exit South Africa.

"To achieve this, ports of entry and the vulnerable segments of the border line would be adequately guarded to intercept any transgressor. With Operation Vala Umgodi unfolding, the border guards remain vigilant and prepared to intercept the deported illegal miners and deter them from attempting to illegally re-enter South Africa," he said.

Masiapato also said measures to detect and seize illicit goods such as narcotics and stolen vehicles have been intensified.