Service failures in South Africa cause chaos for trucks entering Mozambique

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Service failures in South Africa cause chaos for trucks entering Mozambique

2:31 CAT | 28 Jun 2023

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Twitter / @condit]

Service failures in South Africa are causing kilometre-long queues for heavy goods vehicles at the Komatipoort ( Leombo) – Ressano Garcia border post, affecting various sectors of the Mozambican economy, different sources have told Lusa.

The South African authorities have announced changes in the registration system on the main border crossing between the two countries, 100 kilometres from Maputo and 450 from Johannesburg, which has caused stoppages several times in recent weeks.

The scenario repeated itself last week, with heavy and light goods vehicles unable to register, causing chaos and even limiting the ability of light vehicles to circulate.

The result has been a noticeable lack of products normally imported from South Africa on the shelves of some commercial establishments of the Mozambican capital.

In the export sector, the Port of Maputo company is among those affected, because “it is receiving less and less cargo”, director of operations Marla Calado told Lusa.

Maputo port usually receives about 750 trucks per day, mainly carrying ferrochrome ore, but since the beginning of the congestion a few weeks ago, the number of vehicles has dropped to about half.

“Customers are not managing to get their cargo into the port on time for shipments, which is causing huge logistical costs. Some trucks are taking a week to cross the border,” Calado said.

The tailback has at times extended for more than five kilometres, with heavy vehicles sometimes occupying both lanes of the road, making circulation difficult for light vehicles as well.

“We have been to South Africa to find out what is going on,” National Migration Service (SENAMI) spokesman Juca Bata told Lusa, but so far without success.

“On the way back [to Mozambique], we had to wait four hours to cross the border,” he added.

According to the same source, the delays have left motorists unsafe and vulnerable to theft.

“We have heard reports of robberies during delays at the border. These are trucks full of different goods and light tourist vehicles,” Bata stressed, promising to bring the issue to the attention of South African authorities at their next meeting.

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