Mozambique: Govt advises crossing to/from South Africa from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm – full document

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Mozambique: Govt advises crossing to/from South Africa from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm – full document

5:38 CAT | 03 Jul 2023

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Carta]

The Mozambican Government, through the Consulate in Nelspruit, issued a report on the status of the border crossing to and from South Africa through the Ressano Garcia border, where it recommends severe caution on the part of citizens.

The report, dated June 29, reads as follows: “National citizens travelling to/from South Africa, across the Lebombo/Ressano Garcia border, should prioritise the period between 9:30 am and 1:30 pm, to carry out migratory movements, given that there is a significant reduction in the number of vehicles, mainly public transport for passengers and cargo trucks, which normally make crossings in the early hours of the morning and at the end of the day”.

‘Carta’ transcribed the document in full, ipsis verbis:

“Regarding the situation of congestion at the Lebombo/Ressano Garcia Border Crossing Posts, between South Africa and Mozambique, the Consulate in Nelspruit has to inform Your Excellencies the following:

i) Since the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, there have been frequent situations of congestion on both sides of the border, [affecting citizens in public transport and in private vehicles, a fact that has been the reason for constant complaints, mainly from Mozambicans who travel frequently to South Africa, and have to face long queues to carry out the migratory movement in both directions, [namely] leaving and returning to the country;

ii) The average waiting time, which was a maximum of 5 hours at the beginning of 2023, is currently 60 hours on the South African side of the border, in a simple crossing that is not supposed to take so many hours of waiting. The delays of the migration services at the Lebombo/Ressano Garcia border mean that citizens lose an entire day of travel just in queues to cross, revealing a lack of coordination and effective communication between both borders;

iii) It is important to note that border disturbances extend beyond the scope of business and commerce, reaching several municipalities, from the Mozambican border of Ressano Garcia to the village of Malelane in South Africa, where long queues and traffic jams have negatively affected the daily lives of local citizens, making it difficult for people to travel to work and children to school, including public safety issues (robberies and accidents);

READ: Service failures in South Africa cause chaos for trucks entering Mozambique

iv) During the working visit to the Province of Mpumalanga, carried out by Her Excellency, Maria Manuela Lucas, High Commissioner of the Republic of Mozambique in South Africa, the managers of the different operational units of both border posts, namely: Migration Services, Guard Border, Customs, and Protection Police, highlighted the problem of the congestion of trucks that transport ores from the South African territory to the port of Maputo, as the main challenge, due to the prolonged blockages of the road flow near the border, a situation also associated to recent acts of criminality, mainly armed robberies of private vehicles and public transport [vehicles] for the theft of monetary values and goods, including the “surgical kidnapping” of citizens in order to demand ransom payments from their relatives.

The managers referred that the congestion now verified, is not due to the lack of response capacity on the part of the border services, but rather to the extreme increase in the flow of trucks registered in the last two years, currently being around two thousand per day, against the average of previous years, which stood at six hundred trucks a day.

On the other hand, the Mozambican customs management system is not connected with the South African one, which makes the process of customs clearance for trucks even slower, a situation that could also be resolved with the operation of the single stop;

v) A sustainable solution to the issue of congestion at both border posts is considered pertinent, and urgent action must be taken so that this scenario does not become even more serious and harm both countries, among others at regional level, which benefit in Mozambican and South African trade terms;

vi) Congestion at the border level has harmed not only the pillars of economic development, but also travellers who cross on private matters, such as leisure, medical assistance/treatment, among others, since there are many Mozambicans with residences in South Africa and with children studying in this country, and who often intend to cross and return on the same day, a fact that becomes impossible by forcing them to stay overnight or risk taking night trips back to Mozambique, a fact that favours the current robberies which are often reported close to the said borders.

Recommendations

READ: Road travel to South Africa in extreme urgency cases only, authorities recommend – O País

Taking into account the current context of insecurity near the Lebombo/Ressano Garcia border, the Consulate in Nelspruit recommends the following:

i) National citizens travelling to/from South Africa, across the Lebombo/Ressano Garcia border, should prioritise the period between 9:30 am and 1:30 pm, to carry out migratory movements, since there is a significant reduction in vehicles, mainly public transport of passengers and cargo trucks, which normally make crossings in the early hours of the morning and at the end of the day;

ii) National citizens should travel to South Africa, only to deal with “extreme” priority cases, this until there are guarantees of security by the South African authorities, not only in the vicinity of the Lebombo border, but also in the city of Mbombela (Nelspruit), where there is also a considerable increase in the number of robberies against Mozambicans;

iii) In view of the present scenario, and to safeguard the integrity and safety of Mozambican citizens travelling to and from South Africa, both the South African and Mozambican authorities warn that they pay attention to security measures when in South African territory, and emphasise that, mainly, night trips should be avoided;

iv) The national media, among other relevant entities in this field, should also disseminate information on the dangers existing in the vicinity of the Lebombo/Ressano Garcia border, as a means of preventing the robberies which have constantly victimised Mozambican citizens.

READ: South Africa’s Lebombo border – another day another delay | Freight News

Average waiting time at SA side of Lebombo-Ressano border skyrockets to 60 hours

Source: Carta de Moçambique