Malawi24 has learnt that 17 Malawian travellers were denied entry into South Africa at the Beitbridge border on October 19 and 20, 2024, due to passport processing issues.
The travellers’ passports reportedly failed to meet the requirements, leading to their denial of entry.
A South African border official told Malawi24 that the Automated Border Control (ABC) systems, commonly referred to as eGates, did not recognize the passports.
These eGates are self-service kiosks designed to simplify border procedures by scanning biometric data embedded in passports.
The system matches this biometric information with either a fingerprint or a photograph taken at the gate to verify the traveller’s identity.
This incident is not the first time Malawian citizens have faced challenges entering South Africa due to passport-related problems.
