Borderline breakthroughs

MIGRATION CONTROL: HOME AFFAIRS TOUTS TECH-LED REFORMS AND RECORD DEPORTATION

- Ciaran Ryan

The department of home affairs has deported over 51,000 illegal foreigners since the government of national unity (GNU) took office just over a year ago, exceeding the number of deportations over the previous five years.

"The best investment we can make is to beef up border control," Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said at a PSG Think Big presentation on Tuesday, adding that a revitalised and reformed home affairs, using the latest technologies, could become a template for reform in the rest of the state.

While the exact number of illegals in SA remains unknown, Statistics SA puts the number of international migrants living in SA at 2.4 million in 2022.

Undocumented migrants place added strain on the country's resources, such as health care and schooling, and it's an issue which has become a concern across the political spectrum.

SA's leaky borders are the result of 30 years of under-investment and diminishing standards of ethics.

Border management, previously in the hands of seven different departments and agencies, has now been consolidated into the Border Management Agency (BMA).