Dangerous cargo (DG) carriers are detouring via southernmost road freight borders like South Africa’s N18 transit at Ramatlabama to avoid congestion elsewhere into Botswana.
On Friday morning, the Transit Assistance Bureau said 268 trucks, mostly tankers carrying hazardous chemicals (hazchem), were queuing south of the usually quiet crossing.
Kage Barnett of Trans-Africa Border Hub said the queue had shown a sharp spike, up from 160.
He said it was clear that as the year-end approached, various borders from South Africa into Zimbabwe and Botswana were beginning to bottleneck because of increased cargo demand.
South Africa’s Copperbelt border at Groblersbrug on the N11 is already battling with increased tanker cargo, mainly because of spiking sulphur demand in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The shorter, straighter route through Zimbabwe is not a viable option because of border-concessions costs at Beitbridge and persistent logistical issues on the way north to the Chirundu border into Zambia.
But the bypass border crossing at Groblersbrug has resource capacity constraints and physical challenges that South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA) and Cross-Border Road Transport Agency (C-BRTA) can’t cope with.
As a result, in-transit carriers heading through Botswana are now turning to Ramatlabama, also avoiding the Kopfontein and Skilpadshek borders directly south of Groblersbrug.
Barnett said this was probably because of Kopfontein being a direct supply-chain crossing towards Gaborone, and Skilpadshek being too busy with traffic on the N4 Trans-Kalahari Corridor to Namibia.
“Yes, Ramatlabama is much further south, but at least it’s fairly free-flowing.”
He said transporters would rather take a longer detour but keep moving than stand idling at a congested crossing.
But Botswana can’t cope with the sudden spike in inbound cargo.
Border parking was a problem and so was the behaviour of some truck drivers, Barnett said.
“We’re seeing travellers in cars at points like Ramatlabama now battling to get into Botswana because trucks are skipping the queue. We’re asking that they be patient and allow smaller vehicles to proceed.”
But the patience of hazchem carriers with government agencies like the BMA and C-BRTA is running thin because there’s seemingly no end to the waiting game at borders like Groblersbrug.
Ahead of the G20 Summit in Sandton, world leaders will most likely talk about trade facilitation across sub-Saharan Africa.
Sadly, that’s where such undertakings usually begin and end – behind a public-sector lectern.
