Pretoria: The Border Management Authority (BMA) has successfully thwarted over 6,200 attempted illegal crossings into South Africa over the Easter period, marking a 63% increase in enforcement success compared to the same time last year.
According to South African Government News Agency, the 10-day operation, which ran from 15 to 24 April, saw 6,253 would-be illegal migrants detected, up from 3,841 during the 2024 Easter period. This sharp rise in prevention is the result of a sweeping digital overhaul of South Africa’s border control systems.
For the first time during an Easter period, the BMA deployed advanced surveillance tools, including AI-powered night-vision drones, body cameras, and smart monitoring equipment. This technology enabled real-time tracking and faster interception of illegal activities, marking a new era in border security.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber stated that while they are still early in the reform process, the digital transformation of border management is yielding meaningful progress. The success of the Easter operations follows similar improvements over the 2024/25 Festive Season, indicating sustained improvement in border management efficiency.
The Easter season traditionally sees high traffic across South Africa’s ports of entry, prompting the BMA to scale up enforcement activities annually. This year, the technological edge was a significant factor.
The Minister expressed that although there is still a long way to go, the digital transformation of the border environment has set South Africa on a new trajectory towards secure and efficient border management, praising the BMA leadership’s enthusiasm in implementing these digital reforms.