South Africa Ramps Up Border Security: New Measures to Reduce Irregular Immigration
The South African government has decided to improve border security by enhancing and integrating technological systems and adding more law enforcement officers to combat irregular migration and human trafficking and the government has introduced stricter enforcement policies, improved surveillance, and improved intelligence-sharing mechanisms.
It is noted that about 672 Border Law Enforcement Officers have been added to high-risk entry points such as land crossings, maritime borders, and international airports (Teixeira 2025). These officers are also equipped with modern tools, including quad bikes, motorbikes, patrol vehicles, and firearms, to reinforce border protection efforts. Cross-country agreements with Mozambique and Eswatini and ongoing negotiations with Lesotho foster cross-border intelligence sharing through the World Bank’s Southern African Trade Facilitation Programme. Meanwhile, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with INTERPOL grants South Africa access to global databases of lost travel documents and wanted individuals, strengthening national security protocols (Corruption Watch 2023) Over 410,000 irregular immigrants were identified and classified as inadmissible, undesirable, or undocumented from July 2022 to September 2024 (Felix 2025).
The assistant Commissioner Nthuliseni Luvhengo, a frontline officer stationed at the Beitbridge border, says: “We are beginning to see the importance or the benefits of deploying the drones and the push token as well as the bodycams that we have deployed this festive season. Yesterday, we intercepted about 75 people. So that includes the number of people using these vulnerable areas or these passages to pass through going to Zimbabwe and also coming to South Africa to either buy some products or something they are going to sell on the other side of Zimbabwe” (SABC 2025).
South Africa’s migration challenges extend beyond border security. Irregular migration is often tied to human trafficking, extremism, cross-border crime, and economic instability in migrants’ home countries. The push factors driving migration include poverty, political instability, and violence in home countries, while pull factors such as economic opportunities, human rights protections, and South Africa’s relative stability attract migrants. To mitigate the challenges posed by irregular migration, experts recommend prioritising border protection as a national interest by investing in personnel, technology, and infrastructure. Enhancing regional stability, particularly in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Lesotho, through economic development programs. Bilateral agreements with neighbouring countries are seen as a more effective strategy than complex multilateral frameworks, allowing for streamlined intelligence-sharing and joint border management efforts.
References
Corruption Watch. 2023. SIU and CSIR to work with Interpol in cross-border collaboration. 13 December. Accessed 03 10, 2025. https://www.corruptionwatch.org.za/siu-and-csir-to-work-with-interpol-in-cross-border-collaboration/.
Felix, Jason. 2025. Home Affairs processed more than 400k undocumented foreigners, while 96k have been arrested. 24 January. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://www.news24.com/news24/politics/home-affairs-processed-more-than-400k-undocumented-foreigners-while-96k-have-been-arrested-20250124.
Letlape, Abel Patswaite, Smit, H. A. P, Van der Merwe, J. D. S. 2021. Porous land borders and their effect on South African National Security. 02 12. Accessed 03 08, 2025. https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/67fd3b87-12a4-45bd-9b65-613197ed9f2a/full.
SABC. 2025. BMA calls for more resources to fight crime at Beitbridge border. 4 January. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/bma-calls-for-more-resources-to-combat-crime-at-beitbridge-border/.
Teixeira, Ricardo. 2025. South Africa’s Efforts to Manage Immigration and Combat Illegal Entry, 17 February. Accessed 02 17, 2025. https://www.protectionweb.co.za/border-security/south-africas-efforts-to-manage-immigration-and-combat-illegal-entry/
Categories:
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- Migration
- Advocate's Migration Brief
- Disability
- Government Policy
- Human Rights
- Human Trafficking
Tags:
- Bilateral Agreements
- Political Instability
- Poverty
- Economic Development
- Regional Stability
- Migration Policies
- Bodycams
- Drones
- INTERPOL
- Lesotho
- Eswatini
- Mozambique
- Intelligence-sharing
- Border Law Enforcement Officers
- Surveillance Technology
- Law Enforcement
- Cross-border Crime
- Migration Challenges
- Human Trafficking
- Irregular Immigration
- Border Security
- South Africa