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.”