Nearly 10 000 illegal immigrants have been intercepted attempting to enter South Africa unlawfully during the first quarter of the current financial year.
This is according to the Border Management Authority (BMA)’s Commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato who briefed the media on the first quarter performance of the agency for the 2025/26 financial year.
Masiapato said that the number of people who attempt to enter the country illegally has been regularly increasing since July 2022.
“The Border Guards have been able to stop about 496 622 people who attempted to enter South Africa illegally since July 2022. Of the 9 954 persons, 5 826 were undocumented, 2 127 were inadmissible and 2 001 were undesirables. In this instance, the majority of the intercepted and deported individuals were Basotho, Zimbabweans, and Mozambicans,” said Masiapato.
Masiapato said that in the quarter under review, the border guards working with various law enforcement stakeholders also intercepted and handed over to SAPS a total of 15 high-powered suspected stolen vehicles for further handling.
The agency said that it will also continue to prioritise children’s safety, as over ten of them were stopped from crossing the border.
“We intercepted about 13 children across the various ports, of which five were unaccompanied and were therefore handed over to the officials of the Department of Social Development for further process.
“The remaining eight were with their parents who were refused entry as they did not meet the entry requirements into the country,” explained the commissioner.
Masiapato reiterated some of the conditions required for travelling with children.
“A child who is under alternative care must produce a certified copy of an authorisation letter from the Provincial Head of the Department of Social Development prior to departure. Without this letter, the BMA immigration officer will refuse departure,” warned Masiapato.
There’s been document fraud identified at various ports of entry in the country, during the first quarter of the financial year.
“In terms of document fraud, 14 passports bearing fraudulent immigration stamps were identified and confiscated, further illustrating ongoing attempts to undermine national security and immigration controls,” said Masiapato.
In addition, the BMA said that it successfully intercepted 349 vehicles, which were meant to be smuggled out of the country.
“Additionally, in dealing with the illicit trade which negatively affects our economy, the Border Guards seized about 32 bales of counterfeit clothing and 201 pairs of counterfeit footwear with an estimated value of nearly R1.1 million.”
