The Border Management Authority (BMA) has introduced new high-tech passport stamps with unique numbers allocated to specific immigration officers to enhance security at South Africa’s 71 ports of entry during the Easter period. According to BMA Commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato, the agency has also increased staff at ports of entry to manage peak holiday movement. The Western Cape and Gauteng provinces have allocated 50 and 80 officials, respectively, to assist as immigration officers at Cape Town International Airport and OR Tambo International Airport.
The BMA’s Easter Festive Season Plan is structured into four key phases: planning, execution, demobilisation, and sustenance. The planning phase began on February 5, 2026, and is scheduled to conclude on March 30, 2026. During this phase, the BMA engaged in integrated stakeholder engagements to identify partnerships that would assist in augmenting its resources, including continued support from provincial governments and the Department of Social Development.
Easter Travel Plans
The execution phase will run for 10 days, from March 31 to April 9, 2026, divided into a departure leg (March 31 –April 4) and an arrival leg (April 5-9). Based on historical trends, peak travel volumes for the departure leg are expected on Thursday, 2 April, while the peak for arrivals is expected on Easter Monday, April 6. The BMA has also partnered with the Department of Tourism to deploy more than 160 tourism safety officers to enhance the flow of travellers within port premises.
Key Measures
Some of the key measures implemented by the BMA include:
- Introduction of new high-tech passport stamps with unique numbers
- Increase in staff at ports of entry
- Deployment of social workers to various ports of entry
- Partnership with the Department of Tourism to deploy tourism safety officers
- Provision of temporary lighting, ablution facilities, barricades, and Jojo water tankers to improve conditions at ports and transit corridors
The BMA has also engaged in extensive regional discussions with its six neighbouring countries – Lesotho, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia, eSwatini, and Botswana – to streamline border processes and operational coordination.
