The best investment South Africa can make

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber believes funding the Border Management Authority (BMA) is the best investment South Africa can make right now.

He said this agency is the key to unlocking significant value for South Africa, as tighter borders would stem illicit trade, increase tax revenue and reduce pressure on law enforcement.

In the latest instalment of PSG’s Think Big Series, the minister outlined the crucial work the BMA does for South Africa.

Although the BMA has only existed for two years, according to Schreiber, it has already made meaningful progress in creating a single command and control structure at the country’s borders.

Before the BMA was established, South Africa had seven different departments and agencies operating at the country’s borders.

Now, these departments and agencies have been incorporated into the BMA, which Schreiber said has created a much clearer and more controlled environment at the border.

Alongside the BMA, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has also piloted the use of technology in securing the country’s borders, with significant success.

For example, the department has piloted the use of drones, which has led to a 215% increase in border authorities’ detection and prevention of people trying to enter the country illegally.

Schreiber said these pilots have demonstrated the power of digital transformation in dealing with some of the threats faced in the border environment.

“If we can invest in those kinds of resources, we can have a real improvement and move towards creating a digital border environment that can do surveillance,” he said.

Schreiber added that an automated process is also critical in securing the country’s borders, calling for the process of entering and exiting South Africa to be automated.

The minister explained that this process will be linked to people’s biometrics, “and then when you get to the gate, the gate either opens or it doesn’t”.

He said this would not only ensure more secure borders but also negate opportunities for corruption.

Putting your money where your mouth is

While the minister was unable to provide exact figures for the number of illegal immigrants in South Africa, he said the deportations carried out by the BMA are noteworthy.

In the 2024/25 financial year, the DHA increased the number of illegal immigrants it deported to 46,898. 

This is 18% more than the previous year’s 39,672. It is also the highest number of deportations carried out in at least five years, and triple the number conducted in recent years.

However, he said this work and its ability to continue, as well as the expansion of technical capacity at the borders, are contingent on politicians sufficiently funding the BMA. 

“You will not find a politician in South Africa who does not complain about this particular problem, and even worse, you’ll find some who exploit this problem and try to use it for political gain,” he said.

“But when it’s time to put their money where their mouth is and say, ‘Let’s close down some underperforming programmes, let’s deal with corruption in the public sector so that we can fund the BMA’, they go quiet.”

He explained that this is why he has been on a “crusade” to make the case that the BMA is a great investment for South Africa.

Schreiber argued that securing South Africa’s borders would allow the country to clamp down on illicit trade, which would help improve tax collection and reduce the pressure on law enforcement.

South Africa is estimated to have lost R100 billion from illicit and counterfeit trading in 2024 through lost business and tax revenue.

In a recent report, the Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (TRACIT) warned that illicit trade remains one of the most significant threats to South Africa’s economic stability, governance, and global reputation.

The TRACIT 2025 Illicit Trade Index found that South Africa ranks 60th globally out of 158 countries and 4th in Africa, with an overall score of 52.4 out of 100.

TRACIT explained that the BMA has made progress in intercepting unlawful entrants and seizing illicit goods, including counterfeit cigarettes and alcohol.

However, it warned that significant funding and staffing challenges hinder its effectiveness in combating illicit trade. The organisation said the BMA faces a three-year budget shortfall of R4.3 billion and severe understaffing.

“It is really the best investment South Africa can make right now, which is capacitating the Border Management Authority,” Schreiber said.