Pretoria – The Border Management Authority (BMA) has actively enhanced border security by incorporating drones and introducing state-of-the-art security stamps.
During a media briefing on Sunday, August 3, 2025, BMA Commissioner Dr. Michael Masiapato revealed that recent investigations uncovered significant use of counterfeit immigration stamps.
A total of 14 passports featuring forged immigration stamps were identified and confiscated.
To address this fraudulent issue, Dr. Masiapato announced the adoption of new security measures at entry points to improve traveller verification and bolster law enforcement efforts.
On Friday, August 1, 2025, the BMA launched new immigration security stamps to replace the outdated versions.
“This initiative reflects the BMA’s broader dedication to enhancing national security and represents a major advancement in the integrity of border control procedures,” remarked Dr. Masiapato.
“In this regard, we collaborated with the Government Printing Works to create new stamps equipped with high-security features, including the BMA logo, to deter tampering, forgery, and unauthorized use.”
“Before rolling out the new stamps, we consulted and engaged with all relevant stakeholders within the criminal justice system and the border management ecosystem.”
Dr. Masiapato noted that the phased withdrawal of old stamps will coincide with the distribution of the new ones.
“Each immigration officer has been allocated a specific stamp with a unique number tied to them, ensuring traceability if their assigned stamp is implicated in illegal migration,” he explained.
“While our initial focus was on immigration-related stamps, we are now planning to redesign stamps for additional specialized areas such as agriculture, health, and the environment.”
“As the BMA, we stress that it is the traveler’s responsibility to ensure their passports are processed properly and legally at official entry points to avoid issues such as denial of entry, deportation, or potential arrest.”
Dr. Masiapato stated that 9,954 individuals were intercepted, apprehended, and deported while attempting to enter South Africa illegally.
Of these individuals, 5,826 were undocumented, 2,127 were inadmissible, and 2,001 were classified as undesirable.
The majority of those intercepted and deported originated from Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.
In the first quarter of this year, Border Guards apprehended approximately 496,622 individuals attempting illegal entry into South Africa.
The use of drone technology has significantly strengthened the BMA’s capability to detect border violations.
“As we enhance our border security efforts through technology-driven solutions like drone surveillance, we trained eight of our Border Guards as pilots in April 2025,” Dr. Masiapato reported.
“We are pleased to announce that six of our Border Guards passed their training and became qualified drone pilots on July 14, 2025.”
“Previously, we relied on drone pilots from the Department of Agriculture to operate our drones at various points of entry.”
Dr. Masiapato indicated that the BMA plans to send additional border guards for drone pilot training.
This training is part of ongoing efforts to modernize border law enforcement and enhance the detection of various cross-border crimes, including illegal migration, trafficking, and smuggling.
“The skills gained will enhance border security through improved surveillance and increased visibility, particularly in vulnerable border areas,” he observed.
“We have also partnered with the South African Reserve Bank to train border guards in counterfeit detection and currency management, equipping them to identify counterfeit banknotes and coins.”
“In conclusion, the BMA acknowledges that further measures are essential as new risks continue to emerge.
“Therefore, we are implementing robust contingency plans and emergency response protocols at our ports to manage any potential incidents.”
“The BMA remains committed to upholding the integrity of our borders.”
