The Department of Home Affairs is set to hire 301 additional immigration officers across South Africa.
The move is aimed at strengthening immigration enforcement capacity at a time when the department is under pressure to improve border and immigration systems.
The department currently has 868 immigration officers.
The new appointments will increase the number to 1 169 officers.
Home Affairs says the increase will boost enforcement capacity by 35%.
Department cites resource pressure
Carli van Wyk, spokesperson for Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber, said the current number of officers is expected to enforce immigration laws across the entire country.
She said the department still faces serious resource constraints.
However, Van Wyk said internal reprioritisation work had made it possible to recruit the new group of officers.
“Despite the severe resource constraints the department continues to face, reprioritisation work has been done to enable the recruitment of this cohort of additional immigration officers,” she said.
She added that the department is working with National Treasury to secure more resources for digital transformation and capacity-building.
Schreiber calls it a major investment
Schreiber said the appointments were one of the biggest investments in immigration enforcement capacity in years.
“For too long 868 frontline immigration officers have been responsible for enforcing immigration laws across the entire country,” he said.
He said the 301 new officers would strengthen the department’s ability to uphold the rule of law.
Schreiber said the appointments would also help protect the integrity of South Africa’s immigration system.
Digital reforms also planned
The department said the new hiring drive forms part of broader immigration reforms.
Schreiber said the goal is to build an immigration system that works “from beginning to end”.
He said this includes using technology such as electronic travel authorisation to strengthen lawful entry into South Africa.
At the same time, the department wants to invest in the people responsible for enforcing immigration laws daily.
The planned appointments come as immigration enforcement remains a major public issue in South Africa.
Home Affairs says the combination of more officers, digital tools and extra