Protestors marching at the Ressano Garcia border on the N4 Maputo Corridor on Wednesday morning had forced service providers to retreat to safety, a customs official said from Maputo on November 13.
He said although the protest was relatively small – about 300 people marched the from the border gate to the truck staging area at Kilometre Four (KM4) – transporters and trade facilitators were taking no chances.
“There’s no truck movement at the moment. The border gate at Ressano has been closed,” said the source, whose name is being withheld for safety reasons.
“I myself have taken all my equipment as we don’t know if this could explode.”
He said although the march was peaceful, and that a strong military contingent had kept a watchful eye over proceedings, the atmosphere at the border remained tense following last week’s post-electoral violence and subsequent Lebombo Border Post closure by South Africa’s Border Management Authority.
The source said it was noticeable on various cross-border WhatsApp groups that members were cautiously optimistic that the worst of last week’s election unrest had passed.
This is despite calls for more trade-disrupting demonstrations by Venâncio Mondlane, presidential candidate for the opposition Podemos party, which is disputing Frelimo’s election victory on October 9.
Referring to Mondlane as a “Tik Tok star”, the source said further protests were most likely to peter out.
“Christmas is approaching and in Mozambique this time of year is sacrosanct. People don’t want this nonsense. They want to see out the year in peace.”
Rumours of soldier disgruntlement about payment discrepancies between troops at Ressano and resentment over military personnel being paid more by SADC for protecting liquefied natural gas installations in Cabo Delgado Province up north, were also unlikely to lead anywhere, the source said.
“People forget that the current president (Filipe Nuysi) has a military background. He has the army’s backing. Mondlane is wasting his time if he thinks his protests are going to get any bigger.
“Everyone here (transporters on the N4 included), just want to get on with things.”
But the situation at Ressano remains tense.
According to a transporter on one of the WhatsApp groups, protestors in Ressano were blocking the N4, trying to stop trucks with South African registration plates.
The Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC) also reported that at about 2pm on Wednesday, between the border and KM4, an authorised march at Ressano was still in progress.
“Protesters are being closely monitored by authorities and they want to keep it peaceful. We advise everyone to wait until the situation is cleared and we are informed to proceed,” the MPDC said.
The way from the border to the truck staging area at Pessene about halfway to the Port of Maputo was clear. The same was said for the way form Pessene to the port.
“Nothing to report”, the MDPC said.
A service provider working in cargo clearing on the Corridor reported that Mozambican border authorities requested that road freight operators in South Africa refrain from sending any trucks to the border.
Trucks that had been pre-cleared to enter Mozambique were aparently barred from entering the border control zone at Ressano, confirming the customs source’s version of events.
The service provider said ten trucks, which had been processed for entry, were turned back and got stuck in the “bypass area” on the Lebombo side of the border.
