With the festive season underway, Masiapato encouraged all travellers to use official ports of entry rather than irregular crossing points.
The Border Management Authority (BMA) has dismissed allegations that immigration officers are accepting bribes at the Lebombo Border post in Komatipoort, Mpumalanga, stating instead that some travellers are offering payments to expedite their processing.
Some travellers have alleged that they are charged up to R150 for preferential treatment, claiming they face longer wait times if they refuse to pay.
However, BMA Commissioner Mike Masiapato says the issue is more nuanced than it appears.
Travellers initiate bribe offers, says BMA
According to the SABC, Masiapato explained that officials deployed from Pretoria to assist with queue management have been directly approached by individuals seeking preferential treatment.
“Some of the colleagues that came with us from Pretoria, for instance, assisting with queue management, have been approached by individuals who say, ‘Let me give you R100, please take me to the front’, and they literally reject that,” he said.
Masiapato explained that bribery attempts at the border typically fall into two distinct categories.
Those in the first category have valid documents but want to expedite processing.
“One, they will be trying because they just want to be fast-tracked. In other words, to jump the queue and be processed. They do have documents, but they just want to bribe to be fast-tracked. That’s the one category,” he said.
The second category is more concerning, involving travellers without proper documentation who seek to avoid being placed on a watchlist.
“But the other category [is] those people without documents, but they don’t want to be processed in terms of them being v-listed, and that is why they will try to bribe officials,” Masiapato noted.
The commissioner added that such a listing results in a five-year ban from re-entering the country.
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Bodycam technology and surveillance measures
The authority has implemented several interventions to combat corruption among its staff.
Masiapato revealed that some immigration officers are now equipped with bodycams to monitor their interactions with travellers.
“So as they do their work and as they are interacting with the travellers, we are able, in the control room, to follow through their activity,” he explained.
The surveillance system enables supervisors to monitor conversations between officers and travellers in real time.
“We are able to hear them as they interact with the travellers and therefore, should they accept any kind of bribe, it will definitely be a summary dismissal, and that is what we are basically doing,” Masiapato said.
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Holiday season travel advisory
With the festive season underway, Masiapato encouraged all travellers to use official ports of entry rather than irregular crossing points.
The commissioner warned against using facilitators who charge for illegal border crossings, calling such operations dangerous.
“Sometimes people try to cross the Limpopo River, [which is] very dangerous. [They also try to cross the] Caledon River, with Lesotho, [which is also] very dangerous,” he cautioned.
He urged travellers to ensure their documentation is in order before arriving at the border to avoid processing delays.
The BMA also advised travellers to consult the authority’s website at www.bma.gov.za for requirements, particularly regarding travel with children.
Parents travelling without their child’s other parent must observe specific documentation requirements.
Masiapato reminded returning travellers not to bring agricultural products, such as fruit, into the country, as they will not be accepted.
“Otherwise, people must have a very great Christmas as well as a prosperous 2026,” he concluded.
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