Malusi Gigaba Warns SA’s Borders ‘Too Weak To Stop Illegal Migration’

Parliament’s Defence Committee Chairperson, Dr Malusi Gigaba, has raised alarm over South Africa’s fragile border control, warning that a shortage of personnel, equipment, and technology within the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and Border Management Authority (BMA) is compromising national security.

Speaking during a recent interview on 702, Gigaba said these shortcomings are hindering efforts to curb illegal migration and called for tougher enforcement and stronger coordination among government agencies.

“It’s about the ability of not only the National Defence Force, but other agencies that operate as part of the integrated border management system to maintain the territorial integrity of our country, to prevent the entry into South Africa of undocumented people who have no authorisation to do so,” he said.

Bus Tragedy Highlights Deep Border Gaps

Gigaba’s remarks followed a deadly N1 bus crash near Makhado (Louis Trichardt) in Limpopo on 12 October, which killed 43 passengers and left several others seriously injured.

The bus, travelling from Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) to Harare, was licensed to carry 61 people but was found to have been transporting 91 passengers — mostly Zimbabweans and Malawians, many without identification documents.

He said the incident was a reminder of South Africa’s border vulnerabilities and the urgent need to strengthen coordination between the SANDF, Home Affairs, and the BMA to ensure that migration occurs only through official points of entry.

Gigaba stressed that those who cross illegally must face prosecution. “Therefore, to ensure that those who have entered the country illegally without requisite documents are held accountable through the existing legal enforcement mechanisms,” he added.

Malusi Gigaba Calls for Regional Cooperation and Smart Borders

Highlighting ongoing challenges in Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape, Gigaba pointed to a severe shortage of manpower and modern tools.

“You do not have enough boots on the ground. You do not have enough numbers of soldiers. They don’t have enough equipment, including technology, to undertake this mammoth task with great competency,” he said, adding that BMA officers also lack technological support.

Gigaba also called for stronger cooperation between South Africa and its neighbours to manage cross-border movement and disrupt syndicates smuggling people and goods. Reflecting on his tenure as Home Affairs Minister, he admitted that previous resource allocations could have helped limit illegal migration.

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“If we had provided resources a long time ago, as was requested previously by my predecessors and those who succeeded me, we would have stemmed the tide of this illegal migration,” he said.

While acknowledging improvements such as the creation of the Border Management Authority, upgrades at Beitbridge, and the planned rollout of a ‘smart border’ system next year, Gigaba cautioned that the fight against illegal migration remains one of South Africa’s most urgent challenges.

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