(3 minutes read)
· South Africa’s border posts are under heavy pressure amid lockdowns and strained coronavirus testing facilities
· It is estimated that delays at the border led to a loss
exceeding R166 million since Sunday 3 January to Thursday, which works out to more than R33 million a day
· With social distancing and mask wearing rarely enforced along the 25km backlog, truckers feel that border delays may quickly devolve into “super-spreader” events, if they have not done so already
South Africa’s border posts are under heavy pressure amid lockdowns and strained coronavirus testing facilities. The situation at Lebombo border – which connects South Africa and Mozambique needs urgent attention since the influx of travelers congested the Beitbridge border post between South Africa and Zimbabwe. The border posts are also heavily under staffed.
The sudden influx of cross-border travelers attempting to escape lockdowns in neighboring countries or return to work in South Africa after the holiday period has piled on the pressure. But freight associations complain that the South African government failed to align stringent Covid-19 protocols with the number of people required to test and screen. That they say is responsible for the border backlog. It is estimated that delays at the border led to a loss exceeding R166 million since Sunday 3 January to Thursday, which works out to more than R33 million a day.
According to freight associations monitoring the situation, several home affairs and port health officials have already been infected.
With social distancing and mask wearing rarely enforced along the 25km backlog, truckers feel that border delays may quickly devolve into “super-spreader” events, if they have not done so already.
