Road hauliers blame government handling of Covid-19 testing for queues up to 25km long 07 January 2021 - 13:03 Mpumzi Zuzile Picture: REUTERS
Road hauliers have blamed the SA government for delays at the Lebombo border post between SA and Mozambique, where a large number of trucks are creating huge congestion.
The delays have been blamed on traffic management and the way Covid-19 testing is being done on the SA side of the border.
“We support the requirement for the testing to be done‚ but border personnel are overwhelmed and cannot cope with the situation‚” said Mike Fitzmaurice, CEO of the Federation of East and Southern African Road Transport Associations (Fesarta).
Citizen reporter Truck queues now stretch more than 25km and temperatures often exceed 32°C, putting lives and livelihoods are at stake, say Fesarta and the SA Association of Freight Forwarders. A long convoy of vehicles, stretching several kilometres towards Beitbridge border post in Musina. The border connects South Africa with Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, the DRC and northern Mozambique. Picture: Camilo Ramada
Federation of East and Southern African Road Transport Associations (Fesarta) chief executive officer Mike Fitzmaurice said in a statement: “We support the requirement for the testing to be done but border personnel are overwhelmed and cannot cope with the situation.