The Border Management Authority (BMA) is acquiring equipment for its border guards, with state defence materiel agency Armscor issuing multiple tenders for protective and other equipment.
Tender EWSD/2024/78, issued on 29 July with bids closing on 12 August, called for 303 tactical vests and 103 maritime bulletproof vests, to be delivered to the BMA by 30 November 2024. The vests must offer ballistic protection to NIJ Level II or better and incorporate hard armour plates. (NIJ Level II provides protection against 9 mm and .357 Magnum ammunition, but not assault rifle ammunition.)
The majority of vests will be in medium size, with small, large and extra-large acquired in smaller numbers along with several testing samples. According to the Armscor tender, the tactical vests must weigh no more than 6 kg. The maritime vests need to contain a flotation device and have positive buoyancy.
Tender EWSD/2024/77, issued on 29 July and closing on 16 August, calls for 400 elbow and knee guard sets and 400 tactical gloves to be delivered to the Border Management Authority in Pretoria.
The elbow and knee guard sets are required to have a polycarbonate outer shell while the gloves need to be of thermal plastic rubber (TPR) material with palm reinforcement, fingertip protection, and touch screen capability.
Of the elbow and knee guard sets, 300 need to be in green and 100 in black, with the green for border guards and black for maritime guards.
Armscor also has a tender out for tactical equipment and gear, including electronics (EWSD/2024/76, closing 16 August).
The Border Management Authority is getting a range of new equipment for its border guards. Funding from the Criminal Asset Recovery Account (CARA) is being used to acquire “critical security and ICT equipment,” which includes unmanned aerial systems, body cameras, and speed boats, with procurement being done through Armscor.
In March, BMA Commissioner Dr Mike Masiapato told the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans (PCDMV) that the BMA is, through Armscor, in the process of acquiring patrol boats to patrol the maritime environment and to ensure domain awareness.
An initial 50 BMA Coastal Guards have been deployed to eight sites along the South African coastline to monitor the various maritime ports of entry (main harbours like Durban, Cape Town and Gqeberha) and also protect marine resources. “Coast Guards conduct maritime border law enforcement functions such as preventing and combating of human trafficking and the illegal movement of vessels,” the BMA said
An initial 200 border guards were deployed in July 2022 ahead of the BMA’s full establishment in July 2023 and official launch that October. In June 2024, 400 junior border guards joined the BMA’s ranks after eight months of training.
From July 2022 to July 2024, the BMA intercepted and deported over 296 000 individuals, who had attempted to enter the country illegally. Additionally, the BMA recovered 303 vehicles which were in the process of being illegally smuggled across the border, and seized significant quantities of illicit goods and drugs.
