The Lebombo Border Post on the N4 “Maputo Corridor” towards Mozambique saw a significant increase in congestion during November, the Cargo Movement Update compiled by the Business Unity SA (Busa) and the South African Association of Freight Forwarders has found (Saaff).
Last week Thursday when the latest report was compiled, Busa/Saaff reported that the eastbound queue was 24 kilometres long.
The report said, as a result of slow processing at the border, and the general waiting time that ensues on the N4 because of the border’s inability to absorb demand, “drivers are now spending four days or more in the queue to cross into Mozambique.”
Furthermore, “transporters have requested the reinstatement of the old processing system, at least until after the Festive Season.”
Adding to ongoing tension around the tangle of eastbound traffic, which often affects traffic heading west, “there are frequent complaints of deflated tires, with incidents of burnt-out taxi association vehicles and damaged property”, the update said.
Although accusations are almost persistently levelled at inadequacies experienced at the border, Busa/Saaff said the Maputo Corridor crossing “has a finite capacity, and these delays can be attributed almost entirely to the collapse of the railway service.”
Looking at intra-regional cross-border dynamics, the update found that average queueing times increased by almost an hour.
In comparison, “transit times decreased by approximately three-quarters of an hour last week.
“The median border crossing times at South African borders increased by an hour and a quarter hours, averaging 14.2 hours (an increase of 9%, week-on-week) for the week.
“In contrast, the greater Southern African Development Community (SADC) region (excluding South African controlled) decreased by almost an hour and averaged 6.8 hours (↓12%, w/w).”
In what Busa/Saaff termed as “the usual suspects”, its update reported that the border crossings at Kasumbulesa (Zambia-Angola), Martins Drift (Botswana-South Africa), Katima Mulilo (Namibia-Zamnbia), and Santa Clara (Namibia-Angola), took more than a day for long-distance hauliers to cross.
The following cross-border changes, mostly good, were also reported:
- Tlokweng Northbound queue times increased from 1.51 hours to 4.14 hours last week.
- Kasumbalesa Southbound queue times dropped from 9.01 hours (min), 42 hours (avg), 104 hours (max) to 1.32 hours (min), 6.16 hours (avg), 61 hours (max) last week.
- Songwe Southbound maximum crossing times decreased from 91 hours to 14,45 hours, while minimum and average times remained similar.
- Nakonde Northbound maximum crossing times decreased from 141 hours to 48 hours last week.
- Skilpadshek Southbound maximum crossing times increased from 19.6 hours to 44 hours.
- Nakop Eastbound average crossing times increased from 2.1 hours to 3.26 hours, while maximum times decreased from 46 hours to 10.20 hours.
- Katima Mulilo’s average crossing times decreased from 52 hours to 26 hours.
- Tlokweng Southbound average crossing times increased from 2 hours to 9.58 hours.
