Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces and hon members, over the years, government has put in place various measures to strengthen border control around our country. These interventions culminated in the decision to establish the Border Management Authority, BMA, which would take responsibility for all functions that are related to the management of our very broad borders. The Border Management Authority Bill was introduced to Parliament during the term of the Fifth administration and is currently under consideration here in the NCOP.
It is envisaged that the authority will be responsible for border law enforcement functions at the ports of entry around our country. In anticipation of the establishment of the BMA, transitional arrangements have been put in place to strengthen the overall co- ordination and management of role-players at the ports of entry and the borderline environment.
Once established, the BMA will ensure a more efficient processing of people as well as goods that move into the Republic around the 72 ports of entry into South Africa. It will strengthen our capacity to address border threats that could undermine the country's security, and social and economic development.
Another mechanism is the border policing strategy to ensure effective and efficient combating of transnational crimes and other crimes within the border environment. The strategy is being implemented in phases.
In addition to the police and Home Affairs, the SA National Defence Force, SANDF, plays a critical role at the various ports of entry. Through the National Security Strategy, the SANDF has developed a long-term strategic view focused on specific threats to the sovereignty of the Republic and the authority of the state. As part
of this strategy, 15 army subunits have been deployed for border safeguarding. However, more still needs to be done in this regard. The deployment of personnel needs to be augmented with resources such as hi- tech equipment to cover such an extensive borderline, be it on land, at sea or in the air.
We also continue to sustain long-range maritime and air patrols, particularly in the Mozambique Channel and extend such patrols to the West Coast. The SANDF is working with those countries that share borders with South Africa through bilateral defence and security arrangements, to improve co-ordination.
Government has deployed a significant amount of resources and put in place extensive measures to control our borders, but the extent of the challenges and the sheer length of our land and sea borders mean that much more still needs to be done. The BMA represents a paradigm shift that will elevate South Africa's border control to a new level of effectiveness.
The challenges of illegal migration and cross-border crime require a range of responses. Central among these is a better management of our borders and ports of entry, but as the recent attacks on both our own nationals and foreign nationals demonstrated, there is also
a need for more effective and consistent policing within South Africa, improved engagement with affected communities and co- operation with countries from which many of the foreign nationals come. A good example of the latter is the agreements reached with the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria during the state visit of His Excellency President Buhari last week. For example, the two countries agreed to establish a joint warning mechanism that will enable us to share information and also to respond to concerns that may be raised with a view to ensuring that we avoid the type of situation that we experienced a few weeks ago.
Through the application of a range of complementary measures, I am certain that we will be able to address issues of illegal migration, drug and human trafficking, and other cross-border crimes. These measures are all meant to ensure that we indeed create a much safer environment for the people of South Africa. Thank you very much. [Applause.]