The Border Management Authority’s (BMA) operational report for the 2026 Easter period highlighted a significant decrease in illegal person interceptions while noting an increase in the arrest of facilitators.
The 10-day operation, which ran from 31 March to 9 April 2026, resulted in the interception of 4,763 individuals attempting to enter or exit South Africa illegally.
BMA Commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato briefed the media on Sunday, 12 April 2026, outlining movement statistics and interceptions at Ports of Entry during the Easter period.
Undocumented persons
During the 2026 Easter period, the BMA experienced a notable 21% surge in traveller movements across its 71 ports of entry, processing over 1.2 million individuals.
Masiapato said out of the 4 763 intercepted travellers, about 3 170 were undocumented persons, 998 were undesirables and 595 were found to be inadmissible to the country for various reasons, such as possession of fraudulent visas or just failure to produce yellow fever certificate or in possession of invalid travel documents.
“All undocumented individuals were fingerprinted, declared undesirable for five years, and deported to their home countries in accordance with the Immigration Act. The majority of intercepted individuals were Basotho nationals, followed by Mozambicans, Zimbabweans, Swati nationals, Malawians, and Ethiopians.”
Interceptions
According to Masiapato, this year’s interception figures represent a 24% decrease compared to the 6,253 recorded during the 2025 Easter period.
“The BMA attributes this reduction to enhanced enforcement measures, including the deployment of drones, the ongoing arrest of facilitators, the destruction of makeshift boats, and the removal of anchors and ropes used for illegal crossings along the Limpopo and Caledon rivers.”
Masiapato said among the intercepted persons were 29 minors, with 17 at Lebombo and 12 at Beit Bridge.
“These minors were handed over to the Department of Social Development for placement in a safe environment, engagement with their counterparts in adjacent activities, and the initiation of the process to reunite them with their families.”
Arrests
In a notable development, Masiapto said 138 facilitators were arrested during this Easter period, marking a 22% increase from the 113 arrested in the 2025 Easter period.
“These facilitators were not deported but were handed over to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and charged with aiding and abetting under section 49(2) of the Immigration Act.
“The BMA credits the rise in arrests to the full-time deployment of drones and other technologies, including body-worn cameras, as well as the deployment of Push-To-Talk (PTT) communication technology, which enhanced operational efficiency for real-time tracking, tracing, and interception of illegal movements,” Masiapto said.
Ports of Entry
- OR Tambo: During the Easter period, OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) processed the highest volume of travellers, with 234,389 movements, marking a 6% increase from the 220,339 recorded in the 2025 Easter period.
- Lebombo Port of Entry, bordering Mozambique, facilitated approximately 195,293 travellers, an increase of 21% from 161,457 in 2025.
- Beit Bridge port of entry, connecting South Africa to Zimbabwe, was the third busiest, handling about 148,451 travellers, also a 21% increase from 122,228 in 2025.
- Ficksburg port of entry to Lesotho saw a significant surge, with about 113,942 travellers compared to 72,522 in the 2025 Easter period, representing a 57% increase. Similarly, Maseru Bridge port of entry to Lesotho recorded 113,581 movements, a 31% increase from 86,547 in the 2025 Easter period.
- Cape Town International Airport (CTIA), also recorded growth, registering a 10% increase by facilitating 94 023 traveller movements, up from 85 631 facilitated during 2025 Easter period.
Masiapato said the successful execution of the Easter operations stands as clear evidence of a maturing, integrated border management capability, one that is responsive, coordinated, and firmly committed to safeguarding the country’s sovereignty
