Home Affairs Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, will on Thursday unveil the first 200 cohorts of the Border Management Authority (BMA) Border Guards in Musina, Limpopo.
The newly recruited members of the Border Guard will be welcomed at the deployment ceremony to be held at the Beitbridge Port of Entry in Musina, Limpopo, on the same day.
The highlights of the day will include the pass-out parade of the newly-recruited members of the Border Guard who were carefully selected and trained with focus on fitness and physical assessment.
Whilst the broader integration process is underway, this cohort will be statically deployed at the identified five vulnerable segments of the borderline, working together with members of the South African National Defence Force.
The BMA, which is South Africa’s new, single authority for border management with a single command and control, was established through the Border Management Authority Act of 2020.
It will be fully established on 01 April 2023 through the integration of five streams of functions performed by various government departments, Home Affairs, Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development and the department of Health.
This includes access control functions conducted by members of the SA Police Service in the ports of entry.
“The authority will tighten border management by implementing an integrated and coordinated approach in the border management environment,” the Department of Home Affairs said in a statement.
“This is an improvement on the previous multi-agency approach comprising multiple authorities with different mandates.
“When fully established, the BMA will play a pivotal role in tackling border security challenges impacting on the country and its neighbours, such as uncoordinated traveller processing, cross-border criminality, illegal crossings and undue delays in the facilitation of movement of goods and services.
“The BMA model will pave the way for the creation of smart border posts and systems and advance trade facilitation in the region,” the department said.
The deployment ceremony will create an opportunity for the Minister and the BMA Commissioner to share updates on progress and next steps in the phased establishment of this Authority including on how the Border Guards will be deployed to begin to tighten border management in identified ports of entry and in vulnerable segments along the borderline.
Source: South African Government News Agency