Minister Leon Schreiber: Inaugural Border Management Conference

The Border Management Authority is getting down to work

Deputy Minister of Home Affairs – Mr Njabulo Nzuza;
Commissioner of the Border Management Authority – Dr Michael Masiapato;
Heads and CEOs of public entities and private companies in our midst;
Deputy Commissioner of Operations at the Border Management Authority – Maj Gen David Chilembe;
Deputy Commissioner of Corporate Affairs at the Border Management Authority – Ms Jane Thupana;
Chairperson of Audit & Risk Committee – Mr Luyanda Mangquku; and
Chairperson of Human Capital and Remuneration Committee – Ms Nalin Maharaj;
I also want to recognise the sponsors of this event.
Ratilal Rowji – Chief Executive Officer, Global Command & Control Technologies;
Lindiwe Tshabalala – Group CEO, Paramount;
Cornelius Grundling – Chief Executive Officer, DCD Protected Mobility; 
Thinus De Vries – Chief Executive Officer, Conqueror Africa; 
Ricky Croock – Chief Executive Officer, Vuma Cam; and 
Sandile Ndlovu – Executive Director, AMD.

Ladies and gentlemen,
It is an honour for me to open the inaugural Border Management Conference.

This conference brings together minds dedicated to securing our nation, fostering safe trade, and enhancing cross-border collaboration within our region.

But today also marks an important occasion in South Africa’s broader ongoing efforts to restore and uphold the rule of law.

As we all painfully learnt through the work of the Zondo Commission and other efforts, the rule of law has taken a beating in our country in recent years.

From state capture and corruption, to rising crime rates, the under-funding of law enforcement, prosecutorial challenges, and the rise of mafias and syndicates across society, the rule of law is under assault in our country.

Our immigration system, including our capacity to enforce border control and management, has not been spared.

As we gather here today, we are mindful that the restoration of the rule of law in the immigration space will be a tall mountain to conquer.

But conquer it we must.
And, over time, conquer it we shall.

On our journey to combat illegal immigration, restore the rule of law, and facilitate the economic growth and job creation that flows from secure and streamlined border management, we require a number of critical ingredients.

And I am pleased to report today that the Border Management Authority (BMA) is making meaningful strides on all these various fronts.

The first is the establishment and functionality of the BMA as an institution, and the creation of a new organisational culture.

The reality is that the BMA was created in an environment of intense scepticism over its viability. 

But a little over a year since His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa formally launched the BMA on 5 October 2023, I am confident in saying today that the BMA is here to stay as the latest addition to South Africa’s arsenal in the fight to restore the 
rule of law.

Over the past two quarters, the BMA apprehended over 36 000 undocumented, undesirable and inadmissible persons.

It seized 249 fraudulent documents, confiscated counterfeit cigarettes worth over R22 million, counterfeit clothing worth over R4 million, more than 1 100 stolen vehicle parts, and drugs with a street value of over R6 million.

Over the same period, the BMA screened over 2 million people, searched more than 108 000 trucks, processed over 12 000 flights and conducted 648 roadblocks around ports of entry. 

This indicates that the BMA no longer exists only on paper. 

Its work is starting to be felt in the real world.

But these numbers should not make us complacent. 

Given how far we still are from fully capacitating the BMA, these numbers actually indicate the enormous scale of the challenges that confront us.

Nonetheless, getting to this point was not guaranteed.

Any effort to integrate and standardise staff and procedures from different pre-existing departments into a new agency, with one focus and one organisational culture, is a daunting task.

In the case of the BMA, the challenge involved onboarding officials and processes from no fewer than seven different departments and agencies, including Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Health, Home Affairs, the Defence Force, the Police Service, and the Revenue Service.

The organisation is now also filling the key posts of port commanders, which will add crucial command-and-control capabilities on the ground.

There is still much work to do to build a new, integrated organisational culture for the BMA that puts ethics above all else.

I want BMA officials to take pride in the uniforms they wear. 

I want them to know that they are at the forefront of restoring the rule of law.

And that their work is essential to addressing the crisis of unemployment in our country by facilitating trade and economic growth.

That is why, in addition to instilling the highest ethical standards in all that it does, the BMA also needs to adopt a culture based on risk-management. 

People and businesses who can help us grow the economy and create jobs must be welcomed by a red carpet, while those who seek to break our laws must be met by handcuffs.

This essential balance must be at the heart of the BMA’s ongoing training and other efforts to embed a culture of risk management.

I am always amazed by how many people ask me why immigration officials don’t smile more when helping clients.

Indeed, these seemingly small gestures – just smiling and greeting a client by name when processing their passport – are a vitalpart of embedding the culture we want. 

The second key ingredient for the BMA’s success in the immediate term, is collaboration.

At the moment, the Authority has only 2 700 out of the 11 000 officials it requires.

In this context, it is crucial to leverage the strength of partnerships and cooperation.

The BMA has embraced the need for collaboration.

This was exemplified recently through the two-day strategic alignment workshop between the BMA and the South African Revenue Service, which followed on the signed implementation protocol between the organisations.

This collaboration has already yielded tangible improvements on the ground, including 
through an interim solution to the network challenges experienced by the movement 
control system.
Another example comes from the engagements between the BMA, the City of Cape Town, and the Western Cape Government, which will result in local law enforcement officers adding capacity to operations at Cape Town International Airport ahead of the 
tourist season.

The same goes for the way in which South African Police Service (SAPS), South African Revenue Service (SARS), the BMA and local representatives worked together to mitigate the recent challenges experienced at the Lebombo Border Post.

In fact, the very founding of the BMA was an ode to the need for deeper cooperation and collaboration in the border environment.

Instead of the fragmented system that previously split responsibilities among various different departments, the main reason for the BMA’s existence is to foster better coordination.

It is also this founding spirit of collaboration that we must now take forward to turn the vision of the One Stop Border Post Bill into a reality, including through the envisioned public-private partnerships to redevelop six key land border posts.

To do so, the involvement of the private sector will be essential.

Businesses and industries play a critical role in bolstering the capabilities of the BMA. 

From logistics and transportation to security and technology, the private sector brings valuable expertise and resources that complement our efforts in managing South Africa’s borders effectively.

The BMA is committed to fostering partnerships with the private sector to leverage cutting-edge technology, streamline trade processes, and optimise operational efficiency. 

By working with logistics companies, for instance, we can more effectively monitor the movement of goods and manage the flow of trade, which helps reduce congestion and improves service delivery. 

Collaboration with security firms enables us to enhance surveillance, monitor high-risk areas, and respond quickly to incidents.

Technology firms are also key players in this effort, helping us integrate digital solutions that make border processing faster and more secure. 

Advanced analytics, biometric verification, and real-time data sharing with private sector stakeholders will enable us to respond to threats more efficiently and enhance the accuracy of our documentation and immigration processes.

By creating public-private partnerships, we will encourage the development of a border management framework that serves both public interests and private sector growth.

The third ingredient for success that the BMA embraces, is technology. 

Given the capacity and human resources constraints facing the Authority, there can be no more powerful force multiplier than investing in technology.

For example, a single modern drone used by the BMA for surveillance of the border line will be able to effectively detect illegal crossings in a context where the Authority lacks the manpower it needs for surveillance.

The use of body cameras can similarly make a major impact on ongoing efforts to combat corruption.

Importantly, as I have also repeatedly emphasised to the BMA management, all of this data will only be effective if it is integrated and analysed on an ongoing basis in order to guide decision-making.

This is why the BMA’s plans for targeting centres are so important, because this is where data must be centralised and analysed to inform operational decisions.

But it is not only in the security environment where digital transformation can take the BMA to new heights.

The digital transformation of the border environment is also of fundamental importance to achieving the apex priority of the Government of National Unity, which is to grow the economy and create jobs.

The BMA is set to play a fundamental role in the digital transformation of the entire Home Affairs environment.

Our vision for digital transformation demands that we digitalise the immigration process.

Tourists coming to South Africa must be able to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) through an online application process that is checked against Advanced Passenger Processing and Passenger Name Recognition systems.

When they arrive at our ports of entry, their biometrics must be recorded and verified against the ETA.

For this system to supercharge tourism, the BMA’s systems must be fully integrated with Home Affairs. 

The same goes for the processing of other visa categories in order to attract the skills and investment South Africa desperately needs. 

We need to bring an end to paper-based and hand-written visas as a matter of urgency, both in order to enhance national security and to accelerate economic growth.

Once again, this reflects the risk management culture we need, that secures South Africa against criminality while, at the very same time, opening our country up to the tourism, skills and investment we require.

Ladies and gentlemen,
The development of a proud, ethical and risk-based institutional culture, a commitment to collaboration and cooperation, and an embrace of technological solutions and digital transformation can take both South Africa’s national security and economic development to new heights.

The BMA’s vision statement summarises all of these elements perfectly: our goal is to build a world class, integrated border law enforcement authority, partnering for a safe and prosperous South Africa. 

A deliberate focus on building a strong organisational culture, unlocking the benefits of partnership, and embracing technology, hold the key to turning this vision into reality. 

It is with these elements in mind, that I am proud to officially declare the inaugural Border Management Conference open, and to invite you to join us on this journey to build a world class border management system that delivers both security and jobs for the people of South Africa.

I thank you.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Siya Qoza
Cell number: 082 898 1657 

Duwayne Esau – Spokesperson for the Minister
Cell number: 077 606 9702

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