The operation was launched ahead of Easter to manage increased cross\u2011border movement between SA and Zimbabwe and to curb illegal crossings and the smuggling of goods. During the period, the BMA deployed enhanced security measures, including surveillance drones and all\u2011terrain amphibious vehicles, to strengthen control along the border.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
BMA Commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato said the operation was successful and credited the use of technology and coordinated response teams for improved visibility and rapid intervention.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cSo now in this instance, the drones are not demobilised,\u201d Masiapato said. \u201cThis means we still have the ability to monitor the area and activate our response teams when necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
While the special Easter phase has ended, Masiapato said border operations will not return to business as usual. Instead, the BMA has entered what it calls a sustenance phase.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only difference is that we will now be responding with our Land Cruisers, which are our standard patrol vehicles,\u201d he explained. \u201cThe sustenance phase means we will continue with heightened operations as part of our daily activities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beitbridge is one of SA\u2019s busiest land ports of entry and is often under pressure during peak travel periods such as Easter and the festive season. The border is also a known hotspot for illicit crossings and contraband smuggling.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–SABC\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":31244,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-31243","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"The South African (SA) Border Management Authority (BMA) has concluded its ten\u2011day Easter operation at the Beitbridge border post in Musina, in the Limpopo province, following a surge in traveller numbers during the long weekend.","published_date":"","news_description":"The South African (SA) Border Management Authority (BMA) has concluded its ten\u2011day Easter operation at the Beitbridge border post in Musina, in the Limpopo province, following a surge in traveller numbers during the long weekend.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/31243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/31243\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31245,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/31243\/revisions\/31245"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=31243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}