Lebombo Border Post crisis remains unresolved as chaos occurs again

The situation at the Lebombo Border Post reached boiling point last Friday, November 17.

The heavy truck traffic on the N4 towards the Lebombo Border and a lack of traffic management have been ongoing issues for the town of Komatipoort and surrounds for months now. This situation has frequently seen traffic being completely gridlocked, sometimes for more than a day, causing havoc for the nearby towns and motorists.
The most recent incident was the result of a protest by truck drivers, reportedly dissatisfied with the service at the border post. Last Thursday evening there was a 37km-long queue backed up to the west. By Friday morning the traffic had worsened.

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The Malelane Community Policing Forum (CPF) sent out a notice urging motorists to avoid the area at all costs.
The situation quickly erupted into violent incidents, which saw a truck driver shot in the leg, followed by two vehicles belonging to the local taxi association being set alight.

A provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, said a case of attempted murder had been reported to the Komatipoort SAPS, but that no formal case had yet been reported for malicious damage to property regarding the torching of the taxi patrol vehicles. He said, however, that the Komatipoort police had registered a public violence report.
A meeting was held later that day between the truck drivers, traffic officers, the Border Management Authority, SARS and the police, that resulted in the reopening of the road and an agreement to a monitoring and evaluation plan.

The Komatipoort Business Chamber

Meanwhile, the Komatipoort Business Chamber said it had warned the authorities of the possible violence a month before last Friday’s escalation.
The chamber voiced its concerns over the ongoing traffic backlog and has sent several letters to the relevant authorities requesting state intervention.
Another letter last Friday reiterated the chamber’s previous calls for strict enforcement of traffic laws, proactive law enforcement, immediate arrests, prosecution for transgressions and increased penalties to deter reckless driving.

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It referred back to a previous suggestion of the 24/7 deployment of traffic officials, continuous monitoring and enforcement along the N4, a dedicated lane for tipper trucks, the adoption of advanced technologies like real-time surveillance, and effective communication networks.
The letter said despite these clear, urgent recommendations, the state has not demonstrated strict and consistent law enforcement.
“The state has not instilled respect for itself. Most of the order on the N4 has been brought about by private operators, and not the state, exactly what we wanted not to be continued. We feared that the absence of proper control would escalate into the violence we had to live through today [Friday]. We, organised farming and the local CPFs, call upon the state to establish a joint operations centre (JOC) and create a centralised co-ordination mechanism to oversee traffic management and safety strategies.
The safety of the community and the smooth flow of traffic on the N4 are paramount,” it said.

From the dialogue between the interested parties, a number of proposals have been submitted to the National Logistics Crisis Committee. The congestion and safety matters enjoy 24/7 full-time attention. More than 28 relevant stakeholders daily monitor and ventilate findings and solutions.
“At least, different from before the end of August, the local stakeholders are included in the solution finding,” said Jan Engelbrecht, chairperson of the Komatipoort Business Chamber. He commended the input rendered by the public and private sector in this pool, hours and effort nobody might be aware of.

The taxi association

The Maputo Corridor Transport Logistics taxi marshals have since denied any involvement in the mayhem that took place on the N4 in the past week.
“We have been patrolling the N4 for over three months now, and our primary goal is to see traffic flowing smoothly on the road,” said its chairperson, Joseph Ntemele.
“We are in business as much as they are. If they block the road, it affects us negatively, hence we came down to help where we could. We do not know the issues they are citing here; we are not violent people. We do not know who burnt the trucks and we stand by the fact that we are not fighting with truck drivers in any way. We should all be able to share the road for business; that’s the only reason why we are here,” he said.

The authorities

The Mpumalanga MEC for the Department of Community Safety, Security, and Liaison (DCSSL), Vusi Shongwe, visited the area on November 17 to address the crisis. The N4 was reopened for traffic on the same day.

“Night shifts are part of many initiatives by the department to address issues at the border. The DCSSL officials also participate in meetings that are held on a regular basis to deal with challenges relating to congestion. It is regrettable to suggest that the department is not doing anything.”

“We further condemn any form of violence and disregard for the rules. We will continue engagements that will lead to finding permanent solutions to challenges affecting the truckers at the border,” said Moeti.