Ehlanzeni EFF has confirmed Lebombo border shutdown
The queue going towards the Lebombo border from South Africa is reportedly 12km long, and is expected to grow by the hour.
The EFF, truck drivers and taxi operators have shut down the Lebombo Border Post due to crime that is allegedly taking place in the area.
According to the deputy chairperson of EFF in Ehlanzeni, Sifiso Nkuna, they are tired of the crime at the border gate. They want the police to deal with the alleged group of criminals who call themselves the Challengers.
Nkuna said they will not open the road until one of the MECs, either Vusi Shongwe of the Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, or Mandla Ndlovu of the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport, comes to address them.
“These Challengers are damaging people’s cars, robbing them of their belongings, and raping women, young and old. Nothing is being done to deal with them,” said Nkuna.
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“We called a protest to close the road, so that we could gain the attention of the authorities to intervene. We are doing this to protect all people who are using this port of entry. We demand intervention from the provincial government and law enforcement agencies,” he said.
Nkuna alleged that the Challengers are young people from South Africa and Mozambique.
“We will not rest until they are dealt with. If neither of the of MECs comes to address us, people will be stuck on the N4 for the whole day. So, it’s up to them to make sure that we open the road.
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“As for the Challengers, if the police don’t deal with them, the community will, ” he said.
Meanwhile TRAC has confirmed that the queue to cross the Lebombo border from South Africa into Mozambique, is currently at 12km. It is expected to increase by the hour.
People had started reporting on social media on Thursday December 8 that the waiting time to enter Mozambique was up to three hours, with some even sharing photos of the queue in various Facebook groups.
The spokesperson for TRAC, Solange Soares, said it is aware of ongoing protest activities at the border, which is thought to have exacerbated the length of the queue.
