An overview of South African border control: 1994-2004

A brief history of the attempts of South African border control over the last decade to find an optimal structure of co-operative governance

In the last ten years, border control in South Africa has attempted to respond to a change from a security focus to one of the facilitation of trade and freer movement of people. In response to these changes and the need for more government departments to become more proactive in this regard, tensions in terms of collective efficiency and effectiveness of border control have become more acute. This paper provides a brief history of the attempts of South African border control over the last decade to find an optimal structure of co-operative governance. Finally, we map three alternative models of how to structure border control in the future.

About the author

Jonny Steinberg is a freelance journalist and researcher. His work in the fields of crime and criminal justice includes two books, Midlands (2002) and The Number (2004), an edited collection of essays, Crime Wave (2001), and several monographs and papers. He has worked as a senior consultant at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation in Johannesburg, and as a senior writer at Business Day. He has an MA in political studies from the University of the Witwatersrand and a doctorate in politics from Oxford University.