There is no telling when smaller borders in the country will reopen as local authorities await response from neighbouring countries, including Botswana and Namibia.
More than 50 borders were shut down in 2020 as part of the travel bans that were instituted to control the spread of Covid-19, with some of the major ports of entry being gradually opened as restrictions eased up.
However 29 smaller borders remain closed.
On Sunday, Siya Qoza, spokesperson for home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi, said the reopening of borders had been approved but they were still waiting for authorities from neighbouring countries to give the green light on their side.
Qoza said minister for international relations Naledi Pandor had written to the other countries to kick-start discussions on the reopening of these borders.
“The ports of entry will be reopened once an agreement has been reached with the relevant neighbouring country. This is because a port of entry can only open when there are officials on both sides of the border,” Qoza said.
He said immigration officials from affected border posts were redeployed to ports of entry that were open during the lockdown.
“The officials have since returned to the ports of entry that are closed and are ready to resume duty when the ports open. They have completed the preparatory work for the reopening,” Qoza said.
The DA has been calling for the borders to be reopened with the party’s shadow deputy of home affairs Adriaan Roos saying communities in those areas were made to suffer.
Roos had questioned Motsoaledi on reasons behind the continued closure of smaller borders more than a month ago.
Motsoaledi said lack of port health services had hindered the process as Covid-19 checks had to be implemented.
Health spokesperson Foster Mohale said port health services were never supplied to smaller borders even before Covid-19.
Mohale said these borders were considered as non-commercial borders with travellers just passing through from one country to another.
He said major commercial borders like the Beitbridge border post between Musina in Limpopo and Zimbabwe were prioritised due to heighted activities in those areas.
He said the department would consider deploying port health officials to the smaller ports of entry in future as Covid-19 had highlighted the need for such services.
Mohale said capacity was not an issue, adding that the department had enough officials to provide the service.
mahopoz@sowetan.co.za
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