BMA dissmiss over 17 officials over bribes as low as R50

The Border Management Authority (BMA) Commissioner, Dr Michael Masiapato, says the authority is taking a firm stance against corruption and lawlessness across South Africa’s Ports of Entry. This comes as Commissioner Dr Masiapato, together with the Executive Members of the Border Management and Immigration Anti-Corruption Forum, pledged to root out corruption within the border management ecosystem.

Speaking at the Border Management and Immigration Fraud and Anti-Corruption Awareness Forum held at OR Tambo International Indaba, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, on Friday, Masiapato said that in the last quarter, the BMA reportedly handled 57 labour-related disciplinary cases involving employees found to have committed various forms of misconduct.

According to Masiapato, of these cases, over 17 officials were fairly dismissed for corrupt activities, including accepting bribes as small as R20 or R50 from illegal migrants who do not have the requested documents. The Commissioner stressed that no amount is considered too small when it comes to corruption.

There are reportedly 33 active disciplinary cases underway linked to corrupt activities. Additionally, two officials are under final warnings, and one official has been suspended without pay.

The BMA Commissioner, Dr Masiapato together with the Executive Members of the Border Management and Immigration Anti-Corruption Forum pledged to root out corruption within the border management ecosystem #BMIACF #AntiCorruptionCampaign https://t.co/egOvSl4HIq
— The Border Management Authority SA (@TheBMA_SA) October 2, 2026

The Commissioner has therefore called on employees to uphold integrity, act lawfully and protect the credibility of South Africa’s border management system.

“Accountability starts within our organisation. – Mechanisms have been put in place to detect and uncover corrupt activities happening at Ports of Entry across the country,” said Dr Masiapato

According to Masiapato, the BMA is currently operating at 25% capacity and has only about 2,520 employees, compared with an establishment of 11,200.

“Now, if you just imagine the numbers that we still need is over 8000 plus of people we need to enrol in the ecosystem, but we are still continue to be signing dissmissal letters of officials”

The commissioner says this has become very problematic as it hinders progress made in the BMA.