Ndebele sends strong message about truck stops at borders

Regulation of truck stops in South Africa is on the cards in order to address safety concerns, particularly at border posts, Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele told delegates at the Freight Intra-Africa 2012 conference in Pretoria last week. Ndebele said truck stops in the vicinity of border posts were a concern as they not only posed a major safety and security risk, but also increased the congestion problems already being experienced. “In some places one will find up to ten informal truck stops all in the vicinity of the border post or at our ports. They create serious congestion while posing a safety hazard.” He said not only was the truck and its crew at risk, but so was the cargo. “It is therefore necessary for government to introduce a mechanism to regulate truck stops. We are planning to prescribe the distance between the location of the truck stop and the border post as well as the minimum safety procedures that have to be in place.”