Eswatini: The Commissioner of the Border Management Authority (BMA), Dr. Michael Masiapato, will co-chair the Eswatini-South Africa Steering Committee Meeting on Border Management, leading a high-level delegation to the session on Thursday.
According to South African Government News Agency, this meeting is a continuation of the bilateral engagements between South Africa and the Kingdom of Eswatini, focusing on improving the management of ports of entry shared by the two countries.
A significant agenda for this session is the implementation protocol of the Joint Action Plan, signed at the end of 2024. The plan requires all entities at the ports of entry between South Africa and Eswatini to develop measures for the facilitation and management of goods, travelers, and vehicles across the border. The BMA and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) have signed this agreement with Eswatini to collectively tackle challenges in the border environment.
The cooperation aims for modern, secure, and well-managed borders between South Africa and Eswatini. The Bilateral Joint Action Plan includes harmonizing policies, strengthening joint planning, and optimizing resources for efficient movements and trade facilitation. This engagement builds on previous Joint Action Plans with Mozambique in 2023 and Lesotho earlier this year, both of which have already resulted in improvements in border coordination and trade facilitation.
Beyers Theron, the Director for Customs, will lead the SARS delegation. Both BMA and SARS are dedicated to enhancing intergovernmental cooperation and strengthening border operations across all ports of entry.