The FF Plus appreciates the Border Management Authority Bill as a mechanism to secure South Africa's vulnerable borders, particularly as regards the control of the illegal movement of people, illegal and stolen goods, drug and human trafficking – specifically women and children.
The FF Plus is, however, concerned about the fact that the Bill does not fall within the scope of the Department of Home Affairs, but rather in the scope of the police and the Revenue Service (SARS).
The Minister (Aaron Motsoaledi) and his administration are now tasked with implementing the Bill in a way that will not marginalise SARS's role of collecting customs revenue, but that will instead effectively coordinate border control across various government departments.
One of the biggest challenges is financing the various border-control functions under one entity in a way that it is reliable, which is quite a challenge seeing as at one time, one could not rely on the Department to issue something as simple as a birth certificate on time.
This is an expensive exercise for the South African economy, which is technically currently in a recession. Thus, the timing may count against the effective implementation of the Bill.
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