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Lebombo Border Switches to Manual Processing as Festive Surge Overwhelms Systems

Officials pledge retrospective checks with bodycam monitoring to curb risks from bypassing electronic screening.

Overview

  • The BMA says more than 30,000 travellers were processed in 24 hours on Christmas Eve, with roughly 350,000 moving through Lebombo since 10 December.
  • South African and Mozambican nationals are being stamped manually to reduce queues, while other nationalities continue through the electronic system.
  • Authorities plan to upload manual entries for SAPS and Interpol screening later, with follow-up checks expected during early January returns.
  • Travellers reported bribery for priority processing; the BMA denies systemic corruption and says officers are monitored via bodycams and other oversight tools.
  • Over 50 people were arrested for irregular crossings near the border, and cargo flows continued on the Kilometre 7 bypass as hundreds of trucks were processed.