Truck drivers endure dire conditions at Lebombo border amid queue chaos

Relieving themselves in the bushes has become the norm for truck drivers queued on the N4 towards the Lebombo Border Post. The drivers have lamented of how difficult the past three weeks have been for them in the long queues.

One driver told Lowvelder that he has been in the queue for the past ten days and that there is no hope of going back home anytime soon.

“The situation is dire for the drivers in this queue. We don’t have food, we don’t have water, and no ablution facilities. Some drivers are able to go to the garage during the day to relieve themselves, but at night almost all of us go to the nearest bushes.

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“The mosquitos are feasting on us at night, and the scorching sun kills us during the day. We have been sleeping in these trucks for over two weeks now,” said one driver who did not wish to be named.

Another truck driver said they are afraid to cross over to Mozambique even when the border is open and ready to process them from both South Africa and Mozambican sides.

“Just this morning (Friday, December 13), we have been updated by some fellow drivers who are in Mozambique that the situation was tense last night. They told us that there were gunshots just a couple of kilometres from the border and one person died while seven sustained serious injuries.

“It is clear that the situation in that country is still volatile. The border opened this morning and only trucks returning back home to Mozambique have crossed. We are scared to go because we don’t know what awaits us the other side,” said the truck driver.

He further added that as drivers they wish to stay away from the border until the situation in Mozambique has calmed down.

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“If my truck crosses the border today and I could come across issues in the other country. It is most likely that customs would not allow me to come back into South Africa with the cargo. It is risky for us to remain on the N4, but riskier for us to cross the border to Mozambique because we don’t know what awaits us from the other side. If no one comes to our rescue, we are most likely to spend Christmas on the N4.

“We call upon the government to reach out to the truck companies to suspend sending cargo to Mozambique for now. This means also clearing the trucks from the road because drivers can get impatient as a result from these frustrations, and accidents might happen,” he added.

The Lebombo Border Post was opened on Friday morning, December 13, to allow movement of cars, pedestrians and cargo.