Major changes coming to SA’s borders this month
The Border Management Authority aims to eliminate corruption at ports of entry by introducing new passport stamps at South Africa’s borders.
Starting this month (August 2025), South Africa introduced new passport stamps at its borders to help curb corruption and illegal immigration.
Over the weekend, Border Management Authority (BMA) Commissioner Michael Masiapato held a press briefing in Pretoria, where he detailed the changes.
Alongside the release of the BMA’s quarterly report for the 2025/26 financial year, Masiapato announced a partnership with the Government Printing Works, which has produced a passport stamp built to meet the highest security standards.
SA’S BORDERS TIGHTEN UP
Principally, the BMA is introducing a new stamp at SA’s borders to prevent tampering, forgery, and unauthorised use. Withdrawal of the old stamps was carried out concurrently with the distribution of the new one, reports IOL.
“We started with immigration-based stamps for SA’s borders. But now we’ll embark on redesigning new stamps for other specialised functions. These include the likes of agriculture, health and environment,” said Masiapato.
BUSINESS AS USUAL
Likewise, Masiapato provided an update on the security of SA’s borders. In the first quarter of the year, 9 954 persons were intercepted and deported while attempting to enter the country illegally. “Of those, 5 826 were undocumented, 2 127 inadmissible and 2 001 undesirable. Moreover, the majority were from Basotho, Zimbabwe and Mozambique,” said Masiapato.
Since July 2022, the BMA has prevented 496 622 people from crossing SA’s borders illegally. And over this period the border guards have intercepted more than 350 vehicles being smuggled out of the country by criminal syndicates. Plus, guards have seized millions of Rands’ worth of counterfeit clothing and footwear.