No food, no water & unable to enter South Africa, travellers turn back at Mozambique border – EWN

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No food, no water & unable to enter South Africa, travellers turn back at Mozambique border – EWN

8:46 CAT | 06 Jan 2021

The situation at the Mozambique-South Africa Lebombo border on 5 January 2021wais fast deteriorating for people ging back to SA. Picture: Supplied

Many thought they could use their negative COVID-19 certificates that were initially accepted for 14 days but they are now required to be less than 72 hours old.

Some travellers who have spent three days without food or water in queues on the way to the Lebombo Border with Mozambique are beginning to return to Maputo – and some may miss deadlines to return to work.

Many thought they could use their negative COVID-19 certificates that were initially accepted for 14 days but they are now required to be less than 72 hours old.

This has caused congestion at the few open land borders and hundreds of non-citizens are being turned away.

“Just after the Moamba tollgate, that’s where the traffic starts and that’s about an hour and half to get to the border.”

Karyn Nxumalo got on a bus to South Africa from Maputo on Sunday, it stopped in a queue in the middle of nowhere at around 3 pm the same day; from then to Tuesday, it has moved about two kilometres.

“The last time I ate was on Sunday around 11 am when we left home, so it’s been two days that I’ve had nothing to eat and no water.”

#Lebombo WATCH: Many have been stuck since the weekend. These men have decided to attempt walking across. Video: Supplied. pic.twitter.com/49H1tpkHBT

— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) January 5, 2021

The bus has now returned to Maputo, so Nxumalo is likely to miss returning to work on time.

The Department of Home Affairs said it was no longer accepting tests that are more 72 hours old, so even those who were tested less than 14 days ago are being tested again on arrival.

Minister Aaron Motsoaledi speaks on what he found at Beitbridge between Zimbabwe and South Africa.

“So, the 500 that are being turned away every day are in and around Beitbridge Border Post.”

Many more are being turned away at the borders with Lesotho and Motsoaledi said the country had no capacity to take in COVID patients from neighbouring countries.

WATCH: Security to be beefed up at SA’s borders