Cargo moving again between South Africa and Maputo

Cargo operations have resumed at the Lebombo port of entry on the South Africa-Mozambique border, the border management authority and South African Revenue Services (Sars) confirmed in a joint statement on Saturday.

The border post was temporarily closed earlier this week due to post-election violence in Mozambique. Violence spilled over and affected traffic, with multiple vehicles vandalised or destroyed on the Mozambican side of the border.

However Mozambican authorities have since addressed issues at the Ressano Garcia port of entry on their side of the border, allowing the movement of both people and cargo to resume.   

“The port is now open for cargo movement after the Mozambican authorities managed to address challenges with their systems to facilitate processing through the Ressano Garcia port of entry into Mozambique. The initial reopening of the port was to manage the movement of people but this morning, the Mozambican authorities worked tirelessly to address cargo systems for smooth border processing.”

BMA Commissioner Michael Masiapato welcomed news of renewed processing activities on the Mozambican side of the border.

“This development paves the way for the full reopening of the port and enables the BMA and Sars teams to work diligently in clearing the current cargo backlog,” Masiapato said.

The Mozambican conflict has raised concerns about disruptions to the South African economy and calls for intervention from the Southern African Development Community (Sadc).

The Southern Africa Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF) said the destabilisation of the Maputo corridor — the transport route linking South Africa to Maputo — had implications for the entire Southern African region.

“The economic impact of this situation is long term and extends beyond Mozambique to all other countries in the Sadc region but in particular South Africa and Zimbabwe, as halted trade raises the risk of economic setbacks,” it said.

“The supply chains using the Maputo corridor compete internationally, and the predictability required for ensuring international competitiveness is putting these fragile supply chains at significant risk.

“Maputo has long been a vital port for regional and international trade, growing significantly in importance over the last 15 to 20 years as a successful public-private concessionary — an operating model that has increased capacity, driving growth and investment into Mozambique — one of the world’s poorest economies.”.

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