Border Agency Leaves 75% of Posts Unfilled
Minister Leon Schreiber says the Border Management Authority urgently needs recruits, with 2,146 staff currently guarding South Africa's borders.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Immigration
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South Africa's Border Management Authority has 2,146 employees guarding the country's borders, Minister Leon Schreiber said in a parliamentary reply. He said 75% of the authority's positions remain unfilled and that recruitment is needed urgently.
Why it matters
The shortfall bears directly on how well the country can police its land and ports of entry at a time when border security is a live political question. The figures were given in response to a question from the African Transformation Movement.
The Border Management Authority employs 2,146 staff, according to Minister Leon Schreiber's reply to a parliamentary question from the African Transformation Movement. The reply does not state the total number of authorised posts behind the 75% vacancy rate.
The players
Leon Schreiber
South Africa's Minister responsible for the Border Management Authority, who gave the staffing figures in a parliamentary reply.
African Transformation Movement
A South African political party whose question to Parliament prompted the disclosure of the authority's staffing levels.
The details
Schreiber gave the figures in answer to a question from the African Transformation Movement, with MP Thandiswa Marawu asking how many authority employees had been deployed at the borders. Staff are spread across the country, with Gauteng and Free State holding 669, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga 696, Limpopo and North West 490, and the Eastern, Northern and Western Cape 291.
Timeline
11 November 2026: Article on the authority's staffing shortage published
Need to Know
The Border Management Authority was established under the Border Management Authority Act as a single agency for border law enforcement. The current 2,146-strong workforce, with 75% of posts unfilled, shows the agency is operating well below its planned staffing level.
Staffing gaps at the border can affect how quickly travellers and goods are processed at ports of entry and how thoroughly the land border is monitored. The extraction does not say whether any service changes have been announced as a result.
The takeaway
The gap between the authority's current 2,146 staff and its unfilled positions is the central figure to watch, since recruitment pace will determine how much border coverage improves. Readers following immigration policy should track whether the government sets a concrete hiring timeline.
Further reading
For broader context on how border policy is debated, see Immigration coverage across South Africa.
Live Poll
Should the government hire more border officials even if it costs more?
