South Africa has just over 800 immigration officials responsible for monitoring the legality of foreigners inside the country and at its points of entry.
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This was revealed in a written reply by Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber in parliament prompting the African Transformation Movement (ATM), which had posed the question, to express alarm at the situation.
Immigration officers lack devices to verify documents
The party linked the shortage of officials to the rising number of illegal and undocumented migrants in SA.
Schreiber told ATM MP Mandisa Marawu that the 832 immigration officers lack electronic devices to verify the authenticity of passports and identity documents.
According to the minister, this precarious situation underscores the department’s push for digital transformation, including the introduction of biometric verification systems.
He said Gauteng, with a population of 16 million, has the highest number of immigration officials at 230.
KwaZulu-Natal, the second-most populous province with 12.3 million residents, has only 64 officers.
Smaller provinces with disproportionately higher officials
In contrast, some smaller provinces have disproportionately higher numbers of officials. The Western Cape (7.5 million) has 68, Eastern Cape (7.1 million) has 79, Limpopo (6.4 million) 94, Mpumalanga (5 million) 89, North West (4.2 million) has 81, Free State (3 million) has 75, and Northern Cape, with 1.3 million, has 52.
South Africa has long been accused of failing to manage immigration, with large numbers of foreigners crossing borders illegally.
This has stretched the capacity of the Border Management Authority, and SA National Defence Force members have been deployed to patrol the borders.