08 September 2023
The government aims to reduce congestion and delays at South Africa’s busiest border posts with the help of the private sector.
Of South Africa’s 53 border posts with neighbouring countries, the six busiest have been earmarked for upgrades through cooperation between the state and the private sector.
The upgrade project for Beitbridge, Lebombo, Maseru Bridge, Ficksburg, Kopfontein and Oshoek will include replacing outdated technology to better combat smuggling and make it more difficult for criminals to cross the border unnoticed. Trade with neighbouring countries is also expected to improve.
The upgrades were previously announced by Aaron Motsoaledi, the Minister of Home Affairs, but he provided more details on Wednesday.
He invited the private sector to take part in the tender process and said further information would be provided on September 27.
“The main objective is to make it easier for law-abiding individuals and companies to enter and exit South Africa through our border posts, while curbing the illegal movement of people and goods,” Motsoaledi said.
“This call for proposals essentially seeks a partnership between the government and the private sector to revitalise the infrastructure and technology at our border posts.”
Outdated technology aids criminals
Motsoaledi said some of the technology used at border posts to inspect vehicles, such as X-ray machines, is not effective enough and needs to be replaced.
He said the method used to inspect cargo means some trucks transport illegal goods such as cigarettes, alcohol and even people unnoticed through the border posts.
“On December 5, 2020, a truckload of brooms arrived at the Lebombo border post with the intention of transporting the cargo to Mozambique,” he said.
“Inspection of the truck was conducted, and under the heap of brooms, a brand-new Ford Ranger was noticed in the back of the truck. Further investigation revealed that the vehicle was stolen on November 30, 2020, in Sandton.”
Motsoaledi said better technology, such as gamma-ray machines capable of identifying anything from illegal cigarettes and alcohol to paper money and people, are among the necessary upgrades.
“The primary objective of the project is to ensure the achievement of regional economic integration in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), while facilitating the realisation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).”
The project would later be expanded to other border posts.
Apartheid-era border posts detrimental to trade
Motsoaledi said South Africa’s border posts were designed during the apartheid era with the aim of enhancing national security. “In the process, the effective promotion of regional and international trade was neglected.”
If some border posts were compared to their counterparts on the other side of the border, South Africa’s look like “informal settlements, while the other side looks like Sandton”, he said.
“Since the advent of democracy, there has been an exponential increase in the number of people moving between South Africa and the countries in the SADC region.
“The volume of regional and international trade has also increased. Consequently, South African border posts are congested and continue to suppress trade instead of making it more accessible.”
Motsoaledi specifically referred to the Lebombo border post between South Africa and Mozambique, where cargo trucks wait for hours on the N4 to pass through.
