Industry concerns over South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA) remain as government forges ahead with the recruitment and employment of staff.The new BMA Act was signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa in July 2020 as part of a move by the country to improve the management of the legitimate movement of people and goods through its ports of entry, and to better secure South Africa’s porous borders.According to government, the BMA represents a comprehensive approach to border management.Currently, the system relies on a collaborative effort by more than seven different government departments, including the South African Revenue Service (Sars), the South African Police Service (Saps) and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). The establishment of the BMA through the new act heralds major change at the various borders.Incubated as a branch of the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), the BMA will act as a single entity responsible for the country’s borders. It will establish an inter-ministerial committee, chaired by the minister of home affairs. This will comprise the ministers of defence, police, state security, agriculture, finance, environmental affairs, health, trade and industry, and transport. The BMA will also establish a Border Technical Committee from the relevant state departments and institutions.The DHA has maintained that the BMA will simplify the management of border posts or official gates of entry as it will streamline the red tape at the border posts by establishing one command structure covering the responsibilities that are currently being handled by various government agencies at the borders.Plugging the porous borders has been identified as a priority, given that it has been problematic for some time. Minister of Home Affairs Dr Aaron Motsoaledi is on record as saying that “porous borders lead to, amongst others, illegal crossing of people, illicit goods, drugs, trafficking of people, particularly of women and children, and stolen vehicles”.Freight News canvassed the opinions of various clearing agents on the matter. “There are very real concerns about the BMA and how it will impact on the movement of cargo in particular,” said one.Another agent expressed concern over the staggering amounts of money being spent on establishing the BMA, as reported in the press. “They are spending millions on kitting out staff, buying uniforms and patrol vehicles. The figures being reported are astronomical. The cost is concerning, especially in light of the fact that we have very capable customs operations in place at our borders.”Another worry is that instead of streamlining border operations, the BMA will just add another layer to an already complex environment. This is especially the case if one considers that the BMA, according to the act, will not take over the functions currently performed by Sars and t he SA N DF.“There is not much the freight industry can do about the BMA at this stage, but we are watching developments closely and hope these won’t bring about any further delays to the movement of cargo,” said an industry source.