MFLF Workgroup - Land Transport Sector

Context

Cross Border Freight is one of four focus areas within the Mpumalanga Freight Logistics Forum Modal Workgroup's Land Transport Sector and is discussed below. The other focus areas are:

• Intermodal Transport
• Rail Transport
• Road Transport

 

Cross-Border Transport

The NFLS identifies inefficiencies at border posts as an obstacle that has an impact on the cost of movement for cross-border freight and identifies these various impacts as follows:

 

NFLS Border Post Challenges

• Lack of infrastructure to support growing traffic volumes
• Sustainability of reinvestment
• SADC and international trade on the N1 Northern Corrider and the N4 Maputo Corridor are severly restricted by border capacity constraints during high demand periods
• Critical shortage of experienced staff at border posts
• Inadequate human resource development plans
• Operational hours impact on supply chain turnaround times
• Low and inconsistent level of interdepartmental cooperation and system integration

The difficulty in addressing the problems at border posts are exacerbated by the fact that strictly speaking, border post operations do not fall within the responsibilities of the Department of Transport, but a conglomeration of National Departments in a bilateral environment. These departments include primarily Customs, Immigration and the Police along with other departments, inter alia the Departments of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs & Tourism, Health and Public Works. All of these government stakeholders are represented on the South African Border Control Operational Coordinating Committee (BCOCC) which in turn interfaces with the the MFLF.

To adequately address inefficiencies at border posts, the right balance has to be struck between all the relevant government stakeholders' individual mandates and responsibilities and the needs of border post users and furthermore needs to be coordinated with the authorities of neighbouring countries in order to create an environment that is conducive to the efficient cross-border movement of freight and passengers.

 

Mpumalanga Cross Border Freight

The National Freight Logistics Strategy identifies the Lebombo Border Post on the South Africa / Mozambique border as well as the Oshoek Border Post on the South Africa / Swaziland border as two of the top five borders handling both passenger and freight movements. Passenger movements are important to the MFLF due to the impact it has on the the efficiency of freight movement, especially over busy periods when congestion leads to major delays. Both borders are situated in Mpumalanga Province, which also has an aditional four commercial class border posts on the Swaziland border, i.e. Jeppe's Reef (near Malelane), Mahamba (near Piet Retief), Mananga (near Komatipoort) and Nerston (near Amsterdam).

Eliminating congestion and minimising delays remain the key challenges for the efficient flow of goods across the provinces borders, esp. at the Lebombo border post. The Presidents of South Africa and Mozambique have agreed to establish the first South African - Mozambican One Stop Border Post at the Lebombo / Resanno Garcia Border Post near Komatipoort. Stakeholders have a prime opportunity to represent their interests in its formation through the MFLF.

 

MFLF Land Transport Sector Objectives - Border Posts

• Promote the increase in commercial cargo clearing operating hours of the Lebombo border post to facilitate cost effective vehicle turn around times that will reduce the landside logistics charges and optimize trade flows to the ports of Maputo and Matola
• Promote the harmonisation across all departments and between the two countries on matters such as infrastructure rehabilitation, procedures and systems
• Work together with the relevant government institutions of South Africa and neighbouring countries to promote and establish a one stop border post to reduce the time of commercial cargo clearing and thus reduce the landside logistics charges for both transit and regional cargo
• Clarify the role of private investors facilities i.e. Lebombo Border Dry Port on the South African side versus the One Stop Dry Port of Ressano Garcia on the Mozambican side
• Work together with the government institutions of neighbouring countries towards greater operational efficiencies, though harmonized, simplified operational policies, procedures and documentation to reduce the time of commercial cargo clearing and thus reduce the landside logistics charges

 

Inviation to Stakeholders

All stakeholders are invited to participate in the Mpumalanga Freight Logistics Forum Workgroup - Land Transport Sector. If you are not already on the MFLF Secretariat's email distribution list, you can subscribe (note that this is a high volume distribution list) or you can keep up to date with upcoming MFLF events by regulalry checking our Upcoming Events page or through RSS.