It could take two to three weeks for the rain-swollen Limpopo to subside and the important Groblersbrug Border Post on the north-south cargo corridor to reopen for long-distance truck traffic.
In the meantime, cross-border hauliers towards Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo will have to use the alternate SA-Botswana transits of Kopfontein and Skilpadshek.
Mike Fitzmaurice, regional vice-president of the African Union’s Organisation for Transport and Logistics (UAOTL), said the river had breached its banks and flooded the Customs office on the Lephalale side of the border on Tuesday.
“There are no operations there at the moment as everyone had to be moved.”
Asked if trucks, especially tankers, might reconsider driving through Zimbabwe where in-transit fuel duties have caused hauliers to head through Botswana instead, Fitzmaurice said transporters would most likely continue to drive through Botswana towards the ultra-modern Kazungula Bridge across the Zambezi.
“They don’t want to pay the fuel duties at Beitbridge. Although you are refunded when you get to Chirundu, operators don’t know how long it could take, considering Zimbabwe’s banking system.”
Although the alternative borders into Botswana are both south of Groblersbrug, it doesn’t add much journey time on the SA-side, although the way north on the other side of the border is longer.
“But I expect we could see the same kind of border delays and back-ups we saw towards the end of last year,” Fitzmaurice said with reference to a new data profile capturing system that was introduced by the Botswana Unified Revenue Service.
He said although traffic into Botswana had improved, mainly thanks to the festive season lull, border queues were once again expected, “especially because the most important border for industry to get into Botswana is now closed”.
“And it’s not as if they (authorities) don’t know about this. They’ve known for some time how important Groblersbrug is for transit cargo through Botswana. Groblersbrug should really have been developed along with the Kazungula One-Stop Border Post,” a sentiment shared by the likes of Lesley Mpofu, CEO of the Trans-Kalahari Corridor Secretariat.
Industry sources say there are plans to upgrade road infrastructure on the Botswana side of the border, most likely by raising and widening the bridge. Development in this regard is expected before the end of the year.
On the South African side, customs facilities should ideally be moved to higher ground.
However, although it’s not the first time Groblersbrug has closed because of flooding, no plans are afoot to move Customs at the bridge to higher ground.
Because Customs at Martins Drift Border Post is higher-lying, Botswana doesn’t have the same border challenges as South Africa.
Fitzmaurice said it was also understood that South Africa’s Department of Public Works and the Border Management Authority had approved border improvement plans for Beitbridge, Lebombo, Kopfontein, Maseru and Oshoek.
“It beggars belief why Groblersbrug is excluded,” he said.
