BMA ramps up Easter border security with new high-tech passport stamps

Border Management Authority introduces traceable stamps and boosts staff at ports of entry to manage peak holiday movement. Border Management Authority(BMA) Commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato says the agency has introduced highly secure new passport stamps with unique numbers allocated to specific immigration officers, which will allow authorities to trace any illegally stamped passport back to the responsible official. Masiapato made the announcement on Saturday during a media briefing where he was presenting the BMA’s Easter Festive Season Plan, aimed at ensuring the efficient, secure and seamless movement of people and goods across South Africa’s 71 ports of entry during the Easter period.

He said the operational plan is structured into four key phases: planning, execution, demobilisation, and sustenance. “Given the existingBMAresource constraints, this phase has focused on integrated stakeholder engagements to identify partnerships that would assist in augmenting our resources,” he said. He highlighted continued support from provincial governments. The Western Cape has allocated 50 officials to assist as immigration officers at Cape Town International Airport, while Gauteng has deployed 80 officers to OR Tambo International Airport.