Border management agency forges ahead

Despite some concerns about
the creation of a single border
management agency (BMA)
– mostly around revenue
collection and funding –
the Department of Home
Affairs is forging ahead with
the initiative, vowing that
all operational differences
among affected departments
will be resolved by the end of
this week.
Minister of Home Affairs,
Malusi Gigaba, announced
that the department had
signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) with
the Ministry of Police and
that a similar MoU was “in
the works” for the South
African Revenue Service
(Sars).
Business Unity SA (Busa)
has become the latest to speak
out against such a move,
cautioning that it would
put further strain on South
Africa’s fiscus at a time when
it still faces the prospect of a
credit ratings downgrade.
On Friday last week
the business watch body
submitted an 11-page
document to the portfolio
committee on home affairs,
which is facilitating the
public participation process
on the BMA bill, pointing
to the recently completed
socioeconomic impact
assessment study showing
that it would cost R15-R24bn
to set up the agency.
The BMA bill has been
seven years in the making
and in 2015 cabinet approved
the introduction of the bill to
parliament.
CAPTION
Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba.