Home Affairs minister Malusi Gigaba has announced that operational hours will be extended and additional human resources will be deployed at selected ports of entry over the Easter holiday period until April 6.
During a media briefing in Tshwane yesterday, he said that the extension was needed as higher volumes of people moved through South Africa’s borders and ports of entry during peak periods such as the holidays. This, he said, presented a number of security risks and put a strain on limited resources at these ports.
These include the exploitation and manipulation of border systems and business processes as well as the facilitation of illegal entry of persons and goods which perpetuates other security-related risks such as cross-border organised crime, illegal migration and social instability.
“This therefore makes it imperative for ports to be well prepared at all times to execute and facilitate traveller movement and, importantly, also to mitigate illegal movements and transgressions,” he said.
Gigaba pointed out that either additional staff or overtime would be provided in order to ensure reasonable turnaround times and avoid congestion at the country’s ports of entry.
Operational hours will be extended at the following ports of entry:
Mpumalanga: Lebombo, Mananga, Jeppes Reef, Oshoek, Mahamba
Eastern Cape: Qacha’s Nek
Kwazulu Natal: Kosi Bay
Free State: Monontsha Pass, Caledonspoort, Van Rooyens Gate
Limpopo: Groblersbridge
“Stakeholders at ports of entry and the countries sharing borders with the Republic of South Africa have been engaged and agreed on the dates to effect the extended operational hours,” he added.
