South Africa's Home Affairs adds 301 immigration officers to boost enforcement

South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs announced that 301 new immigration officers will be recruited, increasing the frontline force by 35% to a total of 1,169 inspectors. The additional staff will be posted across the country's 72 designated ports of entry – including 53 land border posts with Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe, 11 international airports and eight sea ports. Minister Leon Schreiber said the expansion is part of a broader reform that also includes the rollout of biometric verification through an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, aimed at strengthening the rule of law, improving compliance and enhancing border security. The move comes alongside parliamentary oversight of repatriation centres and a humanitarian situation involving Malawian and other foreign nationals residing illegally in South Africa.