Border agency's new vehicle system intercepts 83 vehicles
The Border Management Authority (BMA) says the camera-based system flags suspicious vehicles and helped stop cars worth R46 million in its first six months. The agency says the system is part of efforts to dismantle cross-border vehicle crime syndicates.
BMA Commissioner Michael Masiapato said the system helps identify potentially fraudulent number plates and flags vehicles for inspection at border posts. He said the BMA has intercepted more than 450 vehicles since it started, allegedly being taken out of the country unlawfully.
Masiapato said criminals hijack vehicles to order for buyers elsewhere on the continent. He said they also use fraudulent documents to rent expensive vehicles, take them across the border and sell them before reporting them stolen. In an interview with 702, he said: "Sometimes people actually get to lose their lives and all of that".
He said system records could identify border guards who let a flagged vehicle proceed, and that they should face criminal consequences. The Hawks are helping with investigations. Masiapato said the BMA will report on its progress, including arrests and successful prosecutions.
Key facts
- Who
- Michael Masiapato (BMA Commissioner); Border Management Authority (border agency whose vehicle targeting system intercepted the vehicles); Hawks (police Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, assisting with…)
- What
- The BMA says a new camera-based vehicle targeting system flags suspicious vehicles and helped intercept 83 vehicles worth R46 million in six months, as part of efforts to dismantle cross-border vehicle crime syndicates.
- When
- 21 October 2026
- Where
- South Africa
- Status
- Reported