South Africa’s border control collapsing and over R90 million in the red

South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA) is severely underfunded and understaffed, leaving South Africa’s borders wide open for illegal entries.

This is according to the Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee and Portfolio Committee on Defence, who visited South Africa’s Limpopo borders and found that they are “effectively open.”

The visit focused on illegal cross-border trade and travel in the Limpopo border areas near Musina. 

The committee said it was “worrying” that government departments and entities responsible for border management are not working together to find lasting solutions to South Africa’s porous borders. 

It was discovered that only 15 military companies were patrolling the borders, when there should be 22. Even the 15 companies that are present are struggling due to staff shortages and a lack of vehicles and modern technology. 

The South African National Defense Force said that it lacks the manpower to properly monitor the long stretch of borders shared with Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mozambique. 

Informal settlements along the Limpopo River make border patrol more difficult as some residents are aiding in illegal crossings. 

The committee observed damaged fencing and saw areas where illegal crossings regularly occur. Soldiers stationed in these areas said there were too few of them to effectively monitor and respond to the constant flow of border jumpers. 

A R40 million project to repair the fence was in place, but was cancelled after an investigation by the Special Investigating Unit.

According to the SANDF, South Africa is currently losing about R28 billion per year due to the illegal cigarettes trade.

Approximately 30,000 vehicles are believed to cross between South Africa and its neighbouring countries per year. 

R28 billion lost every year

The responsibility of patrolling the borders is that of the SANDF alone. The Defence Force recently responded to claims that the civil rights group Afriforum has “taken over” border patrol at Musina in Limpopo. 

The SANDF said, “It would be illegal for any civil organisation or NGO to conduct patrols at any borders of the Republic.” Anyone found patrolling the border who is not a member of the SANDF would be stopped.

Despite this, underfunding has all but tied the hands of the BMA. In its latest annual reports, the BMA received a qualified audit opinion with findings and had a deficit of R90.5 million.

The entity has a 76.6% vacancy rate. Corporate services operate with only 2% of the total staff. The BMA’s finance department has only four officials in charge of managing a R1.7 billion budget. 

To add to the BMA’s financial troubles, the entity has been forced to start paying rental costs for offices that were previously covered by other departments. This is despite receiving only a 5.2% increase in budget for the year, amounting to R1.41 billion.

The BMA said persistent budget cuts are hindering its ability to do its job. “The defunding of the SANDF has been ongoing for the last 15 years now,” Lieutenant General Siphiwe Sangweni told SABC News.

This leaves the BMA powerless to fight what it calls “criminal syndicates” operating at the Beit Bridge Border post.

“The things that we have seen are actually worrisome,” said Malusi Gigaba, a member of the Parliamentary Committee. “They’ve even established infrastructure to help them cross into South Africa. We’ve got to put a stop to that.”

Earlier this year, Lieutenant-General Ntshaveni Maphaha critisized the Government for defunding border security, saying South Africa’s leaders want a “Mickey-Mouse defense force.”

“We are sharing our grants for the poor with people we are not supposed to share the grants with. And that is because we are not protected. Our borders are porous,” he said.

Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber said, following the BMA’s annual report, that he is engaging with the Minister of Finance to increase funding for border operations and added that he will write a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa if required.