BEITBRIDGE BORDER CHAOS A SIGN OF INFRASTRUCTURE DEFICIT

Cape Town – Trucking companies diverting their vehicles from the Groblersbrug border in Botswana to Beitbridge are among the reasons for congestion at the crossing between South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Long-waiting queues at the Beitbridge Border were reported, especially around the week of Christmas, during which at least four truck drivers died of dehydration. Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has said Botswana introduced tight lockdown regulations and a strict curfew to protect its own citizens from the ravages of Covid-19, and many trucking companies found it unprofitable to cross into the region through Botswana.

He said usually at this time of the year, Groblersbrug was used as an overflow area when Beitbridge could not cope with the number of trucks. “This year it was the other way round,” Motsoaledi said. “Trucking companies diverted their trucks away from Groblersbrug to Beitbridge because they did not accept the waiting times imposed by the Covid-19 protocols in Botswana.

Source: https://www.iol.co.za