Decision still pending over extended Moz border post hours

ALAN PEAT THE 24-hour opening of the Lebombo border post between SA and Mozambique - which has been called for by businesses on both sides of the border - is still under discussion, and no final date for a decision has been decided. According to a department of home affairs source close to the coalface, it’s going to be a top-level decision, and negotiations between the home affairs officials of the two countries are still in progress. “The SA Revenue Services (SARS) and SA Police Services (SAPS) need to be consulted as well,” our source said, “and their equivalents on the other side.” He also suggested that whether the decision will be for or against 24-hour opening has not yet been hinted at, and any public statement about the post’s incipient opening is purely press speculation. The source also told FTW that the current opening between 06:00 and 22:00 seems sufficient to clear the bulk of the through traffic, and the number of vehicles stopped for an overnight wait is minimal. A situation that was practically proven when the Beit Bridge border post - the main pipeline between SA and Zimbabwe - went 24-hours, and clearing agents noted that the numbers of commercial vehicles seeking night-time transit still remained few.