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.
COVID-19 Protocols Cause Life Threatening Delays At Lebombo Border Image credit: EWN
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“The situation here is bad – very, very bad,” says one of the thousands of truck drivers stranded at the Lebombo border crossing station in Komatipoort, Mpumalanga. With truck queues now stretching more than 25 kms and soaring temperatures often exceeding 32 degrees, lives and livelihoods are at stake. The life-threatening delay is due to the COVID-19 protocols that have been implemented by the South African government. The Federation of East and Southern African Road Transport Associations (FESARTA) and the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF) have again called on Government to work more closely with the Associations when implementing the COVID -19 protocols in order to alleviate the devastating effect on travellers businesses and the economy at large.
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