Cross-border transporters from South Africa, using Botswana as an in-transit country towards Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, should prepare for a longer-than-expected closure of the Groblersburg Border Post (GBR) north of Lephahlale (Ellisras).
The bridge across the Limpopo River, which many road freight stakeholders say is inadequate for infrastructure serving Copperbelt logistics, was last Sunday, March 2, flooded due to incessant rain for the second time this year.
As a result, in-transit cargo operators using GBR have been told to divert to Kopfontein and Skilpadshek transits further south, border posts that are really reserved for cargo on the Trans Kalahari Corridor (TKC) and direct supply chain to Gaborone.
The TKC Secretariat has since warned that bottlenecking at these borders should be expected because of the expected uptick in volume.
Aerial surveillance of the border clearly shows GBR is flooded and that it may take some time for the water to recede.
This has been confirmed by Mike Fitzmaurice, chief executive of the Transit Assistance Bureau (Transist).
Responding to a Transist member’s inquiry, he said the current flooding at GBR was worse than it had been last year.
Fitzmaurice said it could take up to a month before the crossing reopened.
On Monday, Freight News reported that the Limpopo north of GBR had received at least 155mm more rain this year compared to the same period last year.
