- Enoch Godongwana, Minister of Finance, delivered the 2026 budget speech in Parliament on 25 February 2026.
- Minister said the border management authority will be boosted to effectively deal with illegal immigration.
- The South African National Defense Force and the South African Police Service will be given additional funding for crime prevention operations
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Byron Pillay, A news in brief Journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political scene, crime and social issues. Before moving into online journalism he spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier.
Western Cape – Thanks to the budget of 2026, the peace and security of the country is going to get a big boost.
The budget was presented by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana. Parliament On 25 February 2026. With the country's defense force and the issue of illegal immigrants in the news recently, the minister said additional funds will be poured into the country's security.
Border Management Authority and SANDF will get a boost
during his speech Minister The Department of Finance said an additional R990 million would be allocated to the Border Management Authority (BMA). The increase is aimed at strengthening border management, improving enforcement, and addressing illegal immigration. Illegal immigration has been a hot topic after the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) released a damning report detailing systemic corruption and failure within the country's immigration and border control systems.
It is not that only BMA is going to get a boost.
The Minister announced that the budget of the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) would increase from R268.2 billion to R291.2 billion. The minister also said a further R2.7 billion was being added to defense in the medium term to improve operations, which would also include the capability of the South African Air Force.
Another R1 billion will be allocated to South African Police Service (SAPS), and R1 billion will also be allocated to the SANDF for crime prevention operations. The SANDF has been deployed to assist the SAPS in combating organized crime in the Western Cape, Gauteng and the Eastern Cape. This was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa during his state of the nation address on 12 February 2026.
Source: News in Brief