The Border Management Authority (BMA) has launched four new unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, to assist ground teams with curbing the illegal entry of undocumented foreigners into South Africa.
According to home affairs minister Leon Schreiber, who spoke at a launch event in Pretoria on Tuesday, the project follows a December 2024 pilot conducted in partnership with the department of agriculture, land reform & rural development. Data gathered from the pilot informed the BMA’s decision to invest in a full-fledged drone programme.
“What we saw was a 215% increase in the number of attempted illegal crossings by undocumented persons that were prevented. We even were able to showcase thousands of instances where the use of these drones actually led to apprehensions directly,” said Schreiber.
As we roll out more and more cutting-edge technology, there are fewer and fewer places to hide for criminals
Added to the aerial capability introduced by the drones, BMA ground teams will also wear body-worn cameras to aid in their duties. According to Schreiber, 40 bodycams have been launched alongside the four drones.
“The drones are equipped with some of the most advanced night vision cameras in the world, including thermal detection technology. They are powered by artificial intelligence, allowing the devices to recognise and lock onto heat sources, moving people or vehicles. They can travel at speeds of up to 43km/h and are capable of operating in remote rural areas, without access to GPS, and even underground,” said Schreiber.
Digitisation efforts at the home affairs department are moving at a rapid pace. Last month, Schreiber announced “comprehensive upgrades” to the Automated Biometric Identity System (Abis), the system banks, insurance companies and government departments use to verify identity when providing services to citizens.
Digitisation
The move is part of a broader government systems overhaul, announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his state of the nation address in February, which aims to provide citizens with access to government services “at a touch”. Ramaphosa said the home affairs department is central to government’s digitisation drive, with initiatives like a planned digital ID system “at the heart” of an improved, digitised government service.
As part of this initiative, home affairs – along with the BMA and Government Printing Works, last week signed a pact with Sars. Sars has improved its revenue collection through investments in data science and artificial intelligence tools. Schrieber said home affairs will leverage these capabilities to bring proposed new digital services to life. These include:
• The launch of an electronic travel authorisation system to digitalise and automate immigration procedures to eliminate inefficiency and fraud;
• The integration of home affairs services with banking platforms to expand access to smart ID and passport services to “hundreds of bank branches” as well as to banking apps;
• The creation of an option to select secure courier delivery of documents that eliminates the requirement to collect documents at home affairs’ offices;
• The upgrading of the movement control system at all ports of entry; and
• The introduction of smart IDs for naturalised citizens and permanent residents.
Speaking at the drone launch on Thursday, Schrieber reiterated the importance of digitisation to improving service delivery in South Africa and emphasised his department’s commitment to digitising its operations, too.
“Our message to would-be illegal immigrants and smugglers is clear: for the first time ever, we are now watching the border during the day, we are watching at night, we can see your body heat wherever you try to hide, and we will catch you. As we roll out more and more cutting-edge technology, there are fewer and fewer places to hide for criminals who undermine our national security,” said Schreiber.
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