The governments of South Africa and Mozambique have announced a joint plan to tackle severe congestion at their shared border posts, a critical bottleneck for regional trade and holiday travel.
The agreement, finalized in a meeting between South African Transport Minister Barbara Creecy and Mozambican Transport Minister Mateus Magala, will establish new one-stop border posts (OSBPs) dedicated to freight trucks. These new facilities will be located several kilometers away from the primary Lebombo (South Africa) and Ressano Garcia (Mozambique) border crossings.
Minister Creecy emphasized the urgency of the intervention, citing a massive backlog of commercial traffic. “We are very concerned that we have this current congestion on the N4,” she stated. “We have at the moment almost 12 kilometers of trucks that are lining up on the N4 to cross onto the Mozambican side.” She underscored the economic importance of the route, noting the South African government “deeply values” its trading relationship with Mozambique and views the Port of Maputo as a vital export point for minerals.
The initial phase of the plan is already being implemented. Creecy explained that a site seven kilometers from the Lebombo border is being prepared with four mobile units. “One of them will be stationed where we are standing and the other three in the lanes to our left and to our right,” she said. The system is designed for efficiency: “When a truck comes here, they will be processed. A truck that is bound for Mozambique will be processed at the same time by both the South African and the Mozambican authorities. The driver will not have to get out of his vehicle.”
Mozambique’s Minister Magala said the core goal is to drastically cut waiting times to improve traffic flow and safety, especially during the busy festive season. “We expect at least to see how we can reduce all this waiting time… so that we can reduce the impact of accidents,” he said. He acknowledged the seasonal surge in travel between the two countries and clarified that while the new system is a major step, “we are not expecting to solve all the issues right now.”
The congestion crisis has been compounded by traffic violations. The Cross-Border Road Transport Agency (C-BRTA) reported several recent arrests along the N4. The agency’s CEO, Bazil Rajab, expressed disappointment at ongoing law-breaking. He detailed that one driver was arrested for alleged drunk driving, another for non-compliance, and a third for allegedly attempting to bribe an officer. “It’s quite disappointing… we still do have people on the roads that are insisting on driving under the influence of alcohol and they pose a significant amount of danger,” Rajab said.
Authorities confirmed that the current mobile processing stations are a temporary measure. More permanent, technically advanced structures for the one-stop border posts are in the pipeline and expected to be developed in the near future.