The Border Management Authority (BMA) has issued a direct appeal to the South African government for stricter legislation to combat illegal migration, citing inadequate infrastructure, corruption, and a relentless surge in undocumented entries that are compromising national integrity.
The call was made at the Beitbridge port of entry, the busiest land border in Southern Africa and a crucial trade conduit linking South Africa to Zimbabwe and nations beyond. BMA officials report that aging infrastructure is causing significant delays, hampering operations even as the post concludes its second peak returnee period following the festive season, which began on January 1, 2026.
A key frustration for border agents is the current lack of prosecutorial power and a seemingly futile repatriation process with Zimbabwe. A BMA spokesperson at Beitbridge explained, “If we can be given more powers of arresting… normally here with the Zimbabweans we just take them back to Zimbabwe. Then when they arrive in Zimbabwe it seems as if they’re not being dealt with. They have been coming back immediately… sometimes you’ll be deporting one person maybe four to five times in a day.”
The authority argues that an effective solution requires “end-to-end cross-border collaboration” with Zimbabwe, which South African officials say has so far not yielded results. Since the first deployment of specialized border guards in July 2022, the BMA reports it has stopped over 500,000 people from entering the country illegally.
The plea for stronger laws found a high-level echo on Saturday. Speaking at the ANC’s January 8th statement celebration, President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted the government’s focus on immigration reform. “Our government continues to strengthen immigration management through the Border Management Authority, the review of immigration policies and regulations, and legislation that prioritize employment for South Africans,” he stated. “We have said very clearly that we want people who are documented, who are permitted, yes, to be allowed to work.”
This stance contrasts sharply with views from north of the Limpopo. Citing a 2025 Afrobarometer report, which found many Zimbabweans see migration as a path to economic opportunity, a spokesperson for Zimbabwe’s governing ZANU-PF party urged a more welcoming approach from South Africa. “The leadership have been together for a long time… it is not a huge thing to find the people from Zimbabwe coming to work in South Africa… South Africa long back, the miners were from Zimbabwe,” the spokesperson said, framing migration as a historical norm strained by Zimbabwe’s current employment crisis.
Recent enforcement statistics underscore the scale of the challenge. Since the start of the festive season border operations on December 10th, over 9,000 illegal immigrants have been intercepted and deported. This follows the 2024/2025 festive season, where approximately 50,000 undocumented people were apprehended. The BMA has increasingly turned to technology, with drones deployed near the border fence detecting more than 2,000 of those individuals.
The situation at Beitbridge encapsulates a mounting national policy dilemma: balancing regional solidarity and historical ties with the pressing demands of border security and domestic economic pressure.