More than 8k people attempted to enter SA illegally in Q2 of 2025, reveals BMA

More than 8,000 people attempted to enter South Africa illegally during the second quarter of this year.

The Border Management Authority(BMA) provided a report on the second quarter of 2025 during a media briefing in Pretoria on Sunday. 

BMA Commissioner Michael Masiapato said of those caught trying to enter illegally, about 4,000 are undocumented, 2,000 are inadmissible and almost 2,000 were registered as undesirable.

He added that the use of drones played an integral part in catching out those trying to cross borders.

Masiapato said most of the people they stopped from crossing into South Africa came from Lesotho.

“As is always the case in terms of historical and empirical data, the majority of the intercepted individuals in that second quarter were led by Lesotho nationals, followed by Mozambicans, Zimbabweans, as well as Swati nationals. This is a reflection of the consistent, longstanding migration patterns within the sub-region.”