The Border Management Authority requires billions in funding and over 8 000 more staff to fully secure the border.
The Border Management Authority (BMA) is underfunded and understaffed, a parliamentary committee has heard.
Despite the successes of the border watchdogs since its formation, the BMA has thousands of positions unfilled.
However, Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schriber stated that filling the BMA’s capacity would be a costly exercise.
Only 23% of positions filled
Schrieber was before the Standing Committee on Appropriations this week, where he addressed the capacity and funding of the BMA.
The minister explained that the BMA had an approved operational structure of 11 100 personnel, but that only 23% of positions had been filled.
With 8 500 vacancies existing within the entity, less than half of those were required to have the BMA operate at a satisfactory level.
“The BMA requires the filling of 3 207 positions to begin aligning with the approved structure. Achieving this will necessitate significant additional funding,” Schrieber stated.
R2.2 billion needed
Committee members expressed the need to guard against the abuse of public services by undocumented immigrants, as well as foreign criminals exploiting porous borders.
Chairperson Mmusi Maimane said the “integrity and sovereignty” of the nation’s borders needed to be respected, and that funding was necessary to ensure the BMA was adequately equipped.
“The BMA is underfunded by more than R2.2 billion. Without the necessary tools, such as thermal scanners and modern policing technology, the authority is severely constrained in fulfilling its mandate,” said Maimane.
“Addressing this funding shortfall is vital not only for national security but also to safeguard South Africa against illicit trade, tax evasion and the illegal movement of goods,” he explained.
Only R150 million received
Parliament had earlier been made aware of the BMA’s need for additional funding to secure the border.
BMA Chief Financial Officer Zamachonco Chonco, in June, revealed that the BMA had requested R500 million for capital funding but received only R150 million.
That funding went towards the procurement of, among other equipment, 40 body-worn cameras and a set of drones to monitor border operations during peak travel periods.
Last December saw South Africa’s borders record just more than five million travellers in and out of the country, with roughly 58 300 people intercepted while trying to enter the country illegally.
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