South Africa’s borders remain under sustained pressure, with illegal crossings continuing despite increased surveillance and enforcement efforts. At high-traffic entry points like Beitbridge, drones are already being used to monitor movement, yet the outcome often remains the same. Individuals are detained, deported, and in many cases return across the border within hours.

This cycle highlights a core challenge facing border management today. Enforcement is visible, but effectiveness is limited when systems are reactive and disconnected. Technology is beginning to change that equation, but only if it is supported by the right data and collaboration models.

A positive step forward for border security

The introduction of advanced surveillance and biometric technologies at South Africa’s borders is an important and necessary development. Recent announcements by Leon Schreiber outline plans to deploy high-resolution cameras and facial recognition systems to better track entries and exits at border posts.

This shift acknowledges a critical reality. Manual processes and fragmented records are no longer sufficient to manage modern border risks. Facial recognition provides a more reliable way to identify individuals, reduce identity duplication, and establish a clearer picture of who is entering and leaving the country.

As a foundation, this technology is both welcome and overdue.

Where biometric systems reach their limits

While biometric identification improves visibility, it does not on its own prevent repeated illegal crossings. Identifying an individual at a border does not explain whether that identity has been compromised, reused, or linked to broader fraud activity elsewhere in the economy.

When border systems operate in isolation, they lack the contextual intelligence required to assess risk beyond a single interaction. This results in enforcement actions that address the immediate incident but fail to disrupt the wider pattern.

Biometrics answer the question of who someone is. They do not answer whether that identity has been abused, replicated, or flagged across multiple sectors.

The opportunity for public and private collaboration

This is where collaboration with the private sector becomes critical. Identity verification providers operate at scale across financial services, telecommunications, fintech, and other regulated industries. In doing so, they detect identity theft, impersonation attempts, and document fraud patterns long before they surface at a physical border.

Aggregated and responsibly shared insights from these environments could significantly strengthen border risk assessments. Rather than relying solely on point-in-time identification, border control could benefit from a broader understanding of identity behaviour across the digital economy.

Strengthening national protection through shared intelligence

Private sector identity platforms observe fraud trends that are often cross-border by nature. Repeated identity reuse, coordinated impersonation attempts, and document anomalies rarely affect a single organisation in isolation.

When this intelligence remains siloed, its value is limited. When shared within a compliant and privacy-first framework, it becomes a powerful national asset.

Used responsibly, such insights could help flag high-risk identities earlier, reduce repeat illegal crossings, and disrupt organised identity abuse that undermines both border control and the broader economy.

Navigating governance and accountability

It is important to recognise that South Africa’s border control functions operate independently from Home Affairs, with separate budgets, systems, and processes. Any collaboration model must respect this structure and be underpinned by clear governance, legal mandates, and data protection safeguards.

Responsible data sharing is non-negotiable. Privacy, consent, and regulatory compliance must remain central to any partnership between government and industry. The goal is not expanded surveillance, but smarter, more targeted protection.

Building on a strong foundation

Biometric technology provides a solid base for modern border management, but it is not a complete solution on its own. Sustainable impact comes from combining physical infrastructure with digital intelligence and cross-sector collaboration.

As Craig Hills notes:

“Identity risk does not stop at organisational or national boundaries. When we treat identity intelligence as a shared responsibility, we create stronger protection not just for individual businesses, but for the country as a whole.”

A shared responsibility for border security

South Africa’s move toward biometric border control is a clear step in the right direction. The next step is ensuring that these systems are supported by the richest possible intelligence, drawn from both public and private sectors.

Border security, fraud prevention, and digital identity are deeply interconnected challenges. Addressing them effectively requires collaboration, not isolation. By working together, government and industry can move beyond reactive enforcement and toward a more resilient, intelligence-driven approach to national protection.