South Africa has introduced a new generation of high-security immigration stamps as part of a sweeping crackdown on passport fraud and illegal border activity, the Border Management Authority (BMA) announced on Sunday.
The upgraded stamps, which came into force on 1 August, feature advanced anti-forgery elements and are uniquely assigned to individual immigration officers to ensure traceability.
“Each of the immigration officers has been allocated a specific stamp with its unique number linked to each officer to trace back should their allocated stamp be found to facilitate illegal migration into the country,” BMA commissioner Michael Masiapato said.
The move follows a surge in fraudulent stamp use, which authorities say has facilitated illegal migration and undermined national security.
The rollout comes amid mounting concerns over South Africa’s porous borders, which have long been exploited by undocumented migrants and criminal syndicates.
Between April and June 2025 alone, the BMA intercepted and deported 9,954 individuals attempting illegal entry – 5,826 undocumented, 2,127 inadmissible and 2,001 classified as undesirables. Most were nationals from Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
In addition to the stamp overhaul, the BMA is expanding its use of drone surveillance, with six border guards recently certified as drone pilots.
More personnel are expected to undergo training to bolster monitoring of vulnerable border segments.
JN/APA