{"id":45865,"date":"2025-12-25T10:25:46","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T10:25:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/?p=45865"},"modified":"2025-12-25T10:25:46","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T10:25:46","slug":"bma-denies-corruption-claims-says-travellers-try-to-bribe-to-skip-queues-at-lebombo-border","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/2025\/12\/25\/bma-denies-corruption-claims-says-travellers-try-to-bribe-to-skip-queues-at-lebombo-border\/","title":{"rendered":"BMA denies corruption claims, says travellers try to bribe"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<p><h2>With the festive season underway, Masiapato encouraged all travellers to use official ports of entry rather than irregular crossing points. <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>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. <\/p>\n<p>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. <\/p>\n<p>However, BMA Commissioner Mike Masiapato says the issue is more nuanced than it appears. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-travellers-initiate-bribe-offers-says-bma\">Travellers initiate bribe offers, says BMA<\/h2>\n<p>According to the <em>SABC<\/em>, Masiapato explained that officials deployed from Pretoria to assist with queue management have been directly approached by individuals seeking preferential treatment. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome of the colleagues that came with us from Pretoria, for instance, assisting with queue management, have been approached by individuals who say, \u2018Let me give you R100, please take me to the front\u2019, and they literally reject that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Masiapato explained that bribery attempts at the border typically fall into two distinct categories. <\/p>\n<p>Those in the first category have valid documents but want to expedite processing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne, 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\u2019s the one category,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>The second category is more concerning, involving travellers without proper documentation who seek to avoid being placed on a watchlist.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut the other category [is] those people without documents, but they don\u2019t want to be processed in terms of them being v-listed, and that is why they will try to bribe officials,\u201d Masiapato noted.<\/p>\n<p>The commissioner added that such a listing results in a five-year ban from re-entering the country. <\/p>\n<p><strong>ALSO READ: Five killed in major crash on R518 near Mokopane<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bodycam-technology-and-surveillance-measures\">Bodycam technology and surveillance measures <\/h3>\n<p>The authority has implemented several interventions to combat corruption among its staff. <\/p>\n<p>Masiapato revealed that some immigration officers are now equipped with bodycams to monitor their interactions with travellers. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo 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,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<p>The surveillance system enables supervisors to monitor conversations between officers and travellers in real time. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe 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,\u201d Masiapato said. <\/p>\n<p><strong>ALSO READ: Makgoba warns that democracy is under threat in South Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-holiday-season-travel-advisory\">Holiday season travel advisory <\/h3>\n<p>With the festive season underway, Masiapato encouraged all travellers to use official ports of entry rather than irregular crossing points. <\/p>\n<p>The commissioner warned against using facilitators who charge for illegal border crossings, calling such operations dangerous.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes 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,\u201d he cautioned. <\/p>\n<p>He urged travellers to ensure their documentation is in order before arriving at the border to avoid processing delays. <\/p>\n<p>The BMA also advised travellers to consult the authority\u2019s website at www.bma.gov.za for requirements, particularly regarding travel with children. <\/p>\n<p>Parents travelling without their child\u2019s other parent must observe specific documentation requirements. <\/p>\n<p>Masiapato reminded returning travellers not to bring agricultural products, such as fruit, into the country, as they will not be accepted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOtherwise, people must have a very great Christmas as well as a prosperous 2026,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n<p><strong>NOW READ: Festive season: Here are your dos and don\u2019ts<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n#BMA #denies #corruption #claims #travellers #bribe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the festive season underway, Masiapato encouraged all travellers to use official ports of entry rather than irregular crossing points.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45866,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mzansi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45865"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45865\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45867,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45865\/revisions\/45867"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}