Pretoria: The Border Management Authority (BMA) is prepared to facilitate the smooth and secure movement of people and goods through South Africa's 71 ports of entry during the Easter holiday period. The Authority's efforts aim to ensure effective border law enforcement while supporting legitimate travel, tourism, and trade activities.
According to South African Government News Agency, the BMA has outlined an Easter Operational Plan backed by various national security structures, including the Inter-ministerial Consultative Committee on Border Management, the Border Technical Committee of Directors-General and Heads of Entities, the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS), Provincial Joint Operations (Provjoints), and other relevant entities. The plan comprises four key phases: Planning, Execution, Demobilisation, and Sustenance. The Planning phase began at the end of the festive period and is scheduled to conclude on March 30.
As part of the Planning phase, the BMA engaged in extensive discussions with South Africa's neighboring countries-Lesotho, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia, eSwatini, and Botswana. These discussions aimed at streamlining border processes and enhancing coordination. Agreements were reached to adjust operating hours at certain ports of entry, which typically do not operate on a 24-hour basis.
The Groblersbridge port of entry in Botswana will operate 24 hours on April 2. On Good Friday, April 3, and Saturday, April 4, the border will extend its hours from 10 pm to midnight. From April 5-6, the border will remain open 24 hours. Similarly, the Kopfontein border will operate 24 hours on April 2 and April 5. The Kosibay port of entry in Mozambique will extend its hours from 6 am to 6 pm on March 27 and April 10.
In eSwatini, the Jeppes Reef border will open until 10 pm on April 2 and 3, and April 5-6. The Mananga port will extend its hours until 10 pm on April 1-2 and April 5-6. In Lesotho, the Sanipass will remain open until 7 pm on April 1-2, while Caledonspoort and Van Rooyensgate will operate 24 hours on April 2 and until midnight on April 5-6. Monontsa Pass will close at 6 pm on April 2-3 and April 5-6, with Qasha's Nek closing at 10 pm on March 30-31 and April 2.
Given the BMA's resource constraints, the plan emphasizes integrated stakeholder engagements to identify partnerships that can augment resources. The Western Cape Government has allocated 50 officials to support the BMA at Cape Town International Airport, while the Gauteng Provincial Government has deployed 80 officers to assist at OR Tambo International Airport.
Additionally, the BMA has partnered with the Department of Social Development to deploy social workers at various ports of entry to address cross-border social protection challenges. The Department of Tourism has also deployed over 160 tourism safety officers to improve traveler movement within port premises.
The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure will provide temporary lighting, ablution facilities, barricades, and water tankers to enhance conditions at the ports of entry. National, provincial, and local traffic authorities will intensify their deployments to ensure compliance with traffic protocols.
The BMA has also welcomed partnerships with DCD Protected Mobility and the Paramount Group, which support the deployment of advanced surveillance, mobility, and protective technologies for managing border traffic during the Easter period.
The Execution phase of the plan will commence on March 31 and conclude on April 9, divided into two segments: the departure leg from March 31 to April 4 and the arrival leg from April 5-9. Peak travel volumes are expected on April 2 for departures and April 6 for arrivals, with potentially double the baseline volumes, reaching over 25,000 travelers per day at the busiest ports.
Despite the complexities of managing compact Easter travel with minimal flexibility, the BMA is committed to ensuring heightened deployments and intensified border operations at all ports of entry and key transit corridors.
