SA ‘not ready’ for 24-hour border opening

NELSPRUIT – Former head of Mpumalanga, Dr. Matthews Phosa, told a group of Swaziland businessmen meeting at the provincial capital last week that South Africa had turned down a request by the Swazi government and business community for 24-hour border post operations between the two countries. “Swaziland said they were ready to open border posts because business people wanted to operate even at night, all night, for 24 hours, but South Africa said they were not ready yet,” said Phosa. He cited security concerns and the cost of manning border posts on a round-theclock basis as the reasons for SA’s reluctance. However, Phosa stressed the SA government’s desire to facilitate the passage of crossborder goods. “We want to soften the border restrictions so as to move our economies,” he said. He believes the answer to economic growth is a “framework of regional economic cooperation and integration. This will be achieved through the removal of barriers to free trade in the region, facilitating free movement of people, goods and investment across the border.”