Around 22 000 expected to cross through the Lebombo border this Easter weekend

The Border Administration Authority (BMA) expects roughly 22,000 individuals to cross by way of the Lebombo border submit through the Easter holidays.

BMA Commissioner Dr. Mike Masiapato introduced that they’ve enhanced safety measures, which embody the deployment of drones and physique cameras. BMA authorities are utilizing drones to observe sure areas across the Lebombo border submit. Scores of travellers are anticipated to make use of the port of entry over the Easter weekend.

“We’re busy processing individuals which might be meaning to exit South Africa into the Mozambique facet; nonetheless, we expect the height to be tomorrow, primarily Thursday, as individuals could be exiting for Good Friday because it had been, he instructed the SABC on Wednesday.

Drones and cameras deployed at Lebombo border submit

Masiapato stated many Mozambican nationals had been unable to return house through the December holidays on account of political tensions in Mozambique. He stated many had been anticipated to make use of the Easter interval to return to the nation.

“On common, Lebombo processes round 13 000 individuals each day. By way of cargo, we course of between 1 500 to 2 000 vehicles per day.”

“So on this explicit occasion, after we get to excessive peak round this time, we count on the site visitors to achieve a most of twenty-two,000 that now we have to course of a day when it comes to individuals,” he stated.

Every day, 13,000 individuals and a pair of,000 vehicles go by way of the Lebombo border, prompting BMA to implement a bypass system that streamlines operations.

“We principally have created this bypass the place now we have collocated between the immigration officers in addition to the customs officers,” Masiapato continued.

“The vehicles not must cease contained in the port per se, the place individuals must get out of the truck, go to an workplace to be processed for customs and immigration.”