Freight News can confirm that South Africa’s primary logistics border with Eswatini has officially been reopened to road freight despite various reports to the contrary, many of which were circulated via social media.
According to cross-border trade facilitator, Louise Wiggett, a “trickle-feed” of trucks was allowed through the Oshoek Border Post as of Monday night, January 27.
The CEO of Global Trade Solution added that the South African Revenue Service (Sars) had confirmed that on Tuesday, operations had been fully restored at the border post after Sunday morning’s collision when a truck carrying coal had suffered brake failure on the approaching stretch of the N17.
The fully loaded 32-tonne tipper, capable of carrying up to 56 tonnes of ore, collided with 15 vehicles before it overturned in the border gate after smashing into several brick-and-mortar facilities at Oshoek.
Freight News contributor, James Hall, resident in Mbabane, also confirmed that the border was indeed open.
He said he had confirmed it through shuttle service TransMagnifique, a Swazi firm that moves passengers by road to OR Tambo International Airport and Sandton.
“They say the Oshoek border (known as Ngwenya in Eswatini) is indeed open and they are using it for their four daily trips to and from Johannesburg.”
Whether or not the border was operational again caused some confusion among regular users after the Eswatini Government sent out a tweet on X saying: “The Ministry of Home Affairs informs all cross-border travellers that the Ngwenya/Oshoek border is now open.”
That was just after 7pm on Monday.
But Sars spokesperson, Siphithi Sibeko, said it wasn’t the case.
On Tuesday morning, Netwerk 24 quoted him saying Eswatini’s claim that operations had recommenced “was devoid of all truth”.
He apparently said, considering the state of damage at Oshoek, it was self-evident that the border was still closed.
The Border Management Authority (BMA) had also previously reported that operations at the border would remain suspended.
It’s not certain that an update had been sent out by the BMA.
Wiggett, though, stated unequivocally: “I can confirm that the border is open.”
