After days of long delays at the Lebombo border post, the Border Management Authority (BMA) confirmed today that operations have returned to normal, with more than 18 450 travellers processed yesterday.

“While the majority of travellers were processed through automated systems, only 450 women and children were processed manually and are currently being fully captured and reconciled on the Enhanced Movement Control System (EMCS),” BMA commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato confirmed to Lowvelder.

The improvement followed a decision by Masiapato, Home Affairs Deputy Minister Njabulo Nzuza and senior officials, to temporarily revert to manual processing after frustrated travellers had waited for days to cross into Mozambique.

System overwhelmed by holiday volume

Masiapato and Mozambican Interior Minister Paulo Chachine visited the border on Christmas Day and found the electronic system had been overwhelmed by the high volume of travellers, making efficient processing difficult.

The manual system allowed border officials to stamp passports and take cellphone photographs of travellers’ biographic pages, later uploaded into the system for statistical purposes.

Security measures maintained

The temporary measure raised concerns about wanted criminals potentially entering undetected. Masiapato confirmed manual processing was limited to South African and Mozambican nationals travelling for holidays or family reunions.

Foreign nationals continued to undergo electronic checks via the EMCS, and should the system flag a wanted individual, law enforcement agencies would intervene.

Enforcement actions

Demonstrating ongoing enforcement, Masiapato said officials intercepted more than 80 pairs of Nike sneakers from an individual attempting to smuggle them into South Africa today. He also confirmed a suspect accused of facilitating illegal immigration was arrested and charged under the Immigration Act 13 of 2002.

“In this regard, all affected individuals are being processed in line with applicable immigration and law enforcement prescripts,” he said.

Monitoring continues

Masiapato concluded that no congestion had been reported at the Lebombo border post as of today and that authorities will continue to closely monitor the situation.

Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel.

Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.