Beitbridge Border Congestion

2020

Beitbridge Border Post

There was a two-week congestion at Beitbridge Border Post in December 2020 with travellers experiencing prolonged delays. The congestion started from December 15, when most people started travelling to either South Africa or Zimbabwe.^[1]

By 26 December the congestion had cleared.^[2]

South Africa's Department of Home Affairs worked with a number of stakeholders to clear the congestion at Beitbridge border post. In a statement, the Department of Home Affairs said it worked with the Department of Health, the SA National Defence Force, the SA Police Service, the SA Revenue Service, and the Limpopo Provincial Government to resolve the impasse that had led to traffic congestion at Beitbridge.

The Department of Home Affairs also collaborated with Musina Local Municipality which provided additional holding areas for all northbound vehicles.^[1]

Beitbridge Border Congestion

Official figures presented by South Africa's Home Affairs Department showed that by December 27, 2020, 103,224 people had crossed Beitbridge compared to 368,895 travellers in December 2019. Only 27% of the travellers who crossed Beitbridge in 2019 did so in 2020.^[3]

As a result of the congestion, the queue of vehicles waiting to be cleared stretched as long as 14 kilometres to Musina.^[4]

As a result of the congestion, South Africa's Health Department stopped requesting 72-hour COVID-19 test results from travellers at the Beitbridge border in a bid to further ease traffic congestion.^[2]

Causes

At the time, South Africa's Home Affairs minister, Aaron Motsoaledi set the record straight regarding the cause of the congestion at Beitbridge Border Post. He denied claims that his department, failed to plan ahead to reduce huge congestion at Beitbridge.

He blamed Botswana's tight lockdown regulations for the congestion saying:

It is well known that Botswana introduced tight lockdown regulations and a strict curfew to protect her own citizens from the ravages of Covid-19. Many trucking companies found it unprofitable to cross into the region through Botswana. The SA border post with Botswana which is closest to Beitbridge is Groblersbrug.

He said usually, Groblersbrug was used as an overflow area when Beitbridge could not cope with the number of trucks. However, in December 2020, Motsoaledi said trucking companies diverted their trucks away from Groblersbrug to Beitbridge because they did not accept the waiting times imposed by the Covid protocols in Botswana.^[3]

Motsoaledi had previously said that most truck drivers did not have the documentation required to cross the border and were blocking all other travellers who are ready to cross with the relevant documentation. He said:

If you go to Beitbridge now, our people are idling there at the border because the theatre of war is not at the border with customs or Home Affairs, it’s on the road where the truckers have blocked while they don’t have documents to pass through. Take them back to Musina, let the truck drivers do administration. They are in the holding areas. Then they will leave the road free. Then all the other pedestrians will not find the congestion. If the truck drivers were playing the game by the rules, we wouldn’t be having this congestion that is there.

^[4]

On the other hand, the International Cross-Border Traders’ Association (ICTA) blamed the Zimbabwean government’s failure to completely reopen the country’s borders to allow its citizens to return during the festive season.^[4]

Deaths

During that time at a number of Zimbabweans died in queues while waiting to be cleared to leave South Africa prompting authorities to act decisively to address the issue. Numbers of the deceased differ with The Chronicle reporting that least five Zimbabweans died in queues. ^[1]

However, South Africa's Home Affairs Minister said the number of deaths was inaccurate and in a bid to ascertain the facts, his department asked the Road Freight Association for the names of the drivers who allegedly died.

He said the CEO of the Road Freight Association referred the Department of Home Affairs to a police officer in Limpopo. When the police officer was contacted, he told the Department of Home Affairs that he did not know where the five deaths were coming from.

It was later established that the police and the Limpopo department of health only had a record of one death, the cause of which was disclosed by the deceased's family.

The other deaths, he said, were not related to the congestion over the Christmas period.^[3]

SABC News reported that at least eight people died while waiting to cross over.^[2]

Other publications reported that at least 15 travellers, among them truck drivers, dying through causes linked to congestion, hunger, heat and thirst while waiting to be cleared at the border.^[5]