Cape Town International Airport Boosts Immigration Capacity With 48 Additional Officers Deployed

Border management resources at Cape Town International Airport (CPT) have almost doubled as a result of a partnership between the Border Management Agency, the Western Cape Government (WCG) and the City of Cape Town (COCT), which will see an additional 48 people seconded to assist in processing passengers.

Immigration capacity at the airport has steadily declined since 2019, when it stood at 82 permanent and 30 temporary staff, to 66 currently. As part of the new partnership, the City and Western Cape Government will each contribute an additional 24 personnel to act as assistant port control officers. The Western Cape will contribute 24 interns trained as part of the Premier’s First Work Experience programme. The city’s seconded personnel also include law enforcement officers, who will also be able to fulfil safety functions, including search and seizure, arrests and detention.

The partnership was launched at the airport on Monday, August 18, and will run for a year.

“This visionary partnership is a vote of confidence in the BMA, which continues to make meaningful strides in improving border management despite severe resource constraints and a budget shortfall of R4,3 billion. In the face of these constraints, the WCG and COCT have stepped up to boost immigration capacity at the airport to enhance national security while driving tourism growth and job creation in the city and province,” said Home Affairs Minister, Leon Schreiber.

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said the partnership was “in line with our regional economic strategy to grow tourist arrivals through various initiatives, including the Air Access programme, to add more direct flights, support small businesses and job creation, as well as increasing capacity at this key port of entry”. “These young women and men will not only help give operations a boost, they will also serve as ambassadors for our province.”

In 2024, the airport recorded three million two-way international passengers, with one million of these occurring in December alone. ForwardKeys’ data shared by Cape Town Tourism forecasts a 4,6% increase in international arrivals at Cape Town International between July and December.

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said: “A smoother, faster experience at the airport means tourists get to Table Mountain before sunset, and the tour guide in Langa does not lose his business due to airport delays. When we all pull together, the whole tourism economy benefits. That’s why we are glad to support this initiative to improve visitor experience, which is a key part of boosting the tourism economy and job creation over time.”                                                          

In 2023, Mark Maclean, Regional General Manager for CPT, cited immigration resources as one of the biggest hurdles the airport faced. Staff cuts had resulted in average waiting times of 20 minutes, double the international standard waiting time.

Earlier this year, BMA Commissioner Michael Masiapato told Parliament that the agency was grossly understaffed, employing just 2 606 of the 11 000 operational staff it required.