File picture. A long convoy of vehicles, stretching several kilometres towards Beitbridge border post in Musina, Limpopo. Picture: Camilo Ramada
Borders which were closed to ordinary travel at the beginning of January will be reopened as of Monday.
In a statement on Saturday, the Department of Home Affairs said that Cabinet made the decision earlier in the day to reopen the 20 land borders.
The borders were closed on 11 January 2021 as part of the reviewed level 3 lockdown regulations during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi will visit the Lebombo Border Post on Monday.
His Deputy, Njabulo Nzuza, will be at Beitbridge and the department’s Director General, Tommy Makhode, will be at the Maseru Bridge and Ficksburg.
The department said these four land ports were the busiest and that they would be on site to “monitor the implementation of plans to process travellers through the ports”.
There were chaotic scenes at several of South Africa’s land border posts during December and early January as people struggled to exit or enter the country.
In some cases, queues were kilometres long with travellers stuck without food, water or sanitation.
WATCH: 12km queue at the Lebombo border post
One reason for the delays is that travellers are required to produce a valid negative Covid-19 test result obtained 72 hours before the date of travel. Without the document, they are not allowed to enter the country.
“The active and orderly management of people through our borders is an important part of the country’s overall risk adjusted approach to control the spread of Covid-19,” Motsoaledi said in the statement.
The border posts being reopened are:
“In the past four weeks the department has increased its engagements with officials in neighbouring countries, provinces with land borders and other stakeholders to improve coordination of efforts.
“The aim of these engagements was to share plans and ensure seamless movement of travellers and goods to minimise the chances of border crossings being super spreader events,” Motsoaledi said.
He added that fake Covid-19 certificates would not be tolerated and that anyone caught would be barred from the country for at least five years.
“We appeal to travellers to ensure that they have all the requisite travel documents, including valid Covid-19 tests, when they present themselves to officials at our borders. Truck drivers should adhere to laws, regulations and agreements in place in the border area. This will go a long way in minimising congestion,” Motsoaledi said.
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