The Easter long weekend is the second-busiest time of year for the BMA, with the entity expecting up to 25,000 cross-border movements per day over ten days. The entity has 71 ports under its watch during these high-activity periods.

As part of these efforts, the Western Cape government has allocated approximately 50 officials to support the BMA as immigration officers at Cape Town International Airport.

The Gauteng provincial government has also maintained its support through the deployment of 80 officers assisting as immigration officers at OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park.

“This plan reflects the authority’s commitment to the robust implementation of border law enforcement functions while enabling legitimate travel, tourism, and trade during one of the busiest periods on the country’s national calendar,” said BMA commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato.

“Easter is complicated because it compresses movement into just a few days. We expect major congestion on Thursday (2/4), as travellers leave the country and again on Monday as they return.”

Operations will be intensified on these peak days, with several ports running on a 24-hour basis to ensure the smooth movement of travellers.

The BMA has also partnered with the department of social development to deploy various social workers to the various ports of entry through their provincial structures as part of efforts to tackle the cross-border social protection challenges, particularly the safeguarding of minors and vulnerable travellers.

This includes those without requisite travel documentation and victims of trafficking. The department of tourism has also deployed over 160 tourism safety officers to enhance the seamless flow of traveller movements within the port premises.

As part of the planning phase, the BMA has held extensive port-based inter-jurisdictional discussions with South Africa’s six neighbouring countries, Lesotho, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia, eSwatini, and Botswana.

When compared to the December and January festive period, which is characterised by spread travel patterns, historical data confirms that the management of Easter travel remains complex, given its compact nature with little room for flexibility as it converges around one weekend.

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