Mozambique promises to open more border posts

James Hall LOZITHA PALACE, SWAZILAND. Mozambique President Joaquim Chissano, on his first state visit to neighbouring Swaziland last week, promised to facilitate the movement of people and goods between the countries by reopening border posts closed since the Mozambique civil war. "We will open more gates to Swaziland so that people do not have to come through the same border all the time," Chissano told reporters at the conclusion of his two-day visit with King Mswati. "Ministers of interior for our two countries will have to make sure this comes true." Currently, only one border post is officially open between Mozambique and Swaziland, at Lomahasha in the Lubombo region. However, the border fence is porous with points of egress for stolen vehicles originating from South Africa that are transported through Swaziland to be dismantled for parts in Maputo or resold in Zambia, according to sources with the Royal Swaziland Police Force. Border patrols carried out by soldiers of the Swaziland army have been ineffective in monitoring fence gaps cut not by thieves but by ordinary travellers frustrated by a lack of official border post facilities. The car thieves take advantage of existing openings. "Swaziland wants to see Goba border opened as soon as possible, and I must say we will do something about it," Chissano promised. Known as Mhlumeni to Swazis, Goba border post has been a sore point between the countries since an agreement to open the facility was breached by Mozambique last year. Swaziland built a new customs facility and upgraded the road leading to the post. Two years after the work was completed on the Swaziland side, Mozambique has not reciprocated. Chissano explained that the 2000 cyclonic floods which devastated southern Mozambique not far from Goba required that resources be redirected toward emergency reconstruction elsewhere. He noted that now that the rehabilitation work was finished at the main border post at Lomahasha, known as Namaacha to Mozambicans, and the Ressano Garcia border post leading to South Africa was nearing completion, Goba would be next.