Home Affairs Committee to visit Beitbridge and Lebombo ports of entry

10 January 2021

The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has resolved to visit both Beitbridge and Lebombo ports of entry this week in an effort to ascertain progress on the alleviation of challenges that led to delays that created congestion at these ports of entry.

“The committee was concerned by the conditions people faced at these borders which posed both humanitarian and health risk, and this visit will be used to interact with the departments operating at the ports of entry to ascertain if resolutions have been found to challenges faced at these sites,” Adv Bongo said.

Both Beitbridge and Lebombo ports of entry deal with a large number of travellers into and out of South Africa and have done so even before the outbreak of coronavirus. Also, these ports of entry serve as the gateway for trade with a high volume of trucks crossing these borders into the African continent.

It was thus alarming that they are faced by the kind of challenges that were experienced during this festive season. It is in this context that the committee will ascertain if solutions to cumbersome queues and on the lack of health documentation have been found.

During the crisis, the committee called for an engagement with countries within the Southern African Development Community to develop a blueprint that will ensure smooth and efficient crossing at the borders. “This meeting will also get an update on engagements with neighbouring countries especially regarding cooperation at the ports of entry,” Adv Bongo said.

While this visit will focus specifically on the challenges faced during the last two months, the committee will also engage with other role-players to find practical and effective ways to deal with the challenges that riddle the ports of entry now and beyond this Covid-19 catastrophic period.

Regarding operations at the ports of entry, the committee will also seek answers from the Department of Home Affairs on progress on operationalising the Border Management Authority (BMA) following the signing of the BMA Act into law. “We have always been of the view that the BMA will be a vehicle by which challenges faced at the ports of entry are resolved, thus we need to ascertain progress in establishing this agency,” Ad Bongo said.

The committee will also interact with staff at these ports of entry to,  among other things, ascertain the availability of Personal Protective Equipment especially during the peak season, and will interact with travellers and truck drivers to obtain first-hand experience about their circumstances.

Issued by Malatswa Molepo, Media Officer, Parliament, 10 January 2021