Border Management Authority rolls out new high-security immigration stamps

JOHANNESBURG - The Border Management Authority (BMA) has rolled out new high-security immigration stamps, aimed at curbing widespread abuse of the old system.

Commissioner Michael Masiapato announced the new measures during the release of the authority’s first-quarter financial report in Pretoria on Sunday.

In a move to tighten border control and crack down on document fraud, the Border Management Authority has introduced a new set of security-enhanced immigration stamps.

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BMA Commissioner Michael Masiapato said the decision comes after several incidents involving the illegal use of counterfeit stamps.

"We collaborated with our colleagues in the government printing works and designed a new stamp with the highest security standards, which effectively includes the BMA logo to ensure that we prevent any tampering, forgery or even unauthorised use of those particular stamps."

Masiapato has confirmed that the old stamps were withdrawn on Friday, the same day the new ones were introduced.

Each immigration officer has now been assigned a unique stamp, individually numbered and linked directly to them.

This, he said will ensure that if a stamp is misused, it can be traced back to the officer