Staff cuts intensify Botswana border delays

Border crossings into Botswana still remain one of the big challenges for transporters, as it can be slow going at times. “More often than not officials just can’t cope with the volume of cargo moving through the border posts and this leads to delays,” one transporter told FTW during a recent visit to Gaborone. The situation was also not improved when Botswana decided to change the shift roster at their border posts resulting in one shift falling away so that they now operate only two shifts a day. “This means there are times when only one customs official is on duty, having to inspect several trucks, which inevitably results in a queue of vehicles.” When luck is on your side, say the transporters, vehicles are cleared within an hour, but there are times when a vehicle will arrive at the border before 8am in the morning and only clear after 4pm. “There is a definite need for longer operating hours at the borders. Just as important are more efficient systems and also systems that speak across countries.”