Businesses suffer losses from closure of Lebombo border

Some employers are sending workers home

The closure of the Lebombo border – a major economic trade route between SA and Mozambique – is starting to hit local businesses, with some having to let go of their employees temporarily. 

The unrest at the Mozambican side of the border escalated on Tuesday night, resulting in the Border Management Authority (BMA) shutting down access to both countries through Lebombo on Wednesday after cars, trucks and houses belonging to Mozambican border officials were torched.

Late last month, Mozambicans started taking to the streets in protest against the October 9 election results which saw the ruling Frelimo extend its 49-year rule with a disputed 70.67% of the vote.  

The border remained closed for most of Wednesday, causing trucks and other travellers into Mozambique unable to move as protestors took over several trucks and used them to block the main road into Maputo from the borders. Yesterday afternoon, the SAPS arrested a Mozambican taxi driver who used his vehicle to block the SA side of the gate. 

Lebombo is reported to have about 1,800 trucks passing through its gates daily. 

As tensions increased yesterday, several business owners in Komatipoort told Sowetan how their businesses were beginning to take a knock as a results of the protest on the other side of the border. Komatipoort is the last SA town before Lebombo border and does a lot of trading with people from the neighbouring country. 

"If the protest persists until the end of the week we might have to close shop. We won’t [be able to] afford to keep our doors open because electricity is expensive," said Maritza Lazarides, a manager at Big Save Lebombo, a wholesale shop whose main customers come from Ressano Garcia, a Mozambican town adjacent to the border.

We have lost a lot since the start of the protests in Mozambique; from Thursday last week things started being gloomy in terms of business as few people from Mozambique came to buy their stock.Michael Dias, a manager for Ultra-Liquors

She said they had to temporarily release six of their workers because business had declined since the weekend when protesters started moving closer to the border. 

Kokkie Moiri, a manager at Acasia Guest Lodge, which mostly caters for businesspeople and workers going into Mozambique, said since Saturday they have cancelled 20 bookings and paid a full refund as most of the guests feared going into the volatile country. She said they had since allowed some of their workers to stay at home as there was no business and feared they would not be able to pay them their full salaries. 

Michael Dias, a manager for Ultra-Liquors just outside the border in Komatipoort, said since the start of the unrest he has lost about 60% of his clients, who came from Mozambique. 

"We have lost a lot since the start of the protests in Mozambique; from Thursday last week things started being gloomy in terms of business as few people from Mozambique came to buy their stock. But as of Tuesday we have lost over 60% in business, which is very bad. Look inside, it's empty, something we are not used to," said Dias.

A receptionist at Stoep Café and Guesthouse said most of their customers from Mozambique have cancelled their December reservations because they do not know how long the unrest will last for. 

Pinky Gama, a receptionist at Border Country Inn, said her boss had something to smile about this week as they received more guests than they had bargained for. They had to make 17 extra rooms available to accommodate truck drivers and Mozambicans who had escaped from the chaos near Ressano Garcia

“This place is not normally busy, especially at this time of the day. We are happy we are able to make more money," she told Sowetan.

BMA commissioner Michael Masiapato, who visited the area yesterday afternoon, said border management had to close the border for safety reasons. By late yesterday, however, they had opened a portion of the border for small cars and buses going into Mozambique.  

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