Thousands denied entry to SA over festive season, says BMA
The Border Management Authority says officials blocked entry to 15,984 people who tried to make their way into the country illegally over the festive season.
Commissioner Mike Masiapato says groups of travellers tried to force their way through ports of entry and other vulnerable points along the border.
“In this instance after intercepting them, we fingerprinted them, we declared them undesirable and we then banned them from re-entering South Africa for five years and kept the record in our biometric movement control system and get them deported."
He says the majority of those attempting to enter the country were stopped at the Lebombo border to Mozambique and the Beitbridge border to Zimbabwe.
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Masiapato released the figures at a media briefing on Sunday.
“About 6455 travellers were denied entry into South Africa for being undesirable. This includes individuals who committed crimes in other countries and appear on the Interpol red list."
He said another 4,000 people were also denied entry.
“This includes individuals with invalid passports, fraudulent visas or failed to produce valid yellow fever certificates while travelling from yellow fever endemic countries.
“Therefore, in the 43 days in the festive period, when you add the number of the people intercepted it is a total of 27,005 individuals who were fairly deported while attempting to enter South Africa illegally."
