NGWENYA: Eswatini and South Africa have signed a joint action plan (JAP) to address challenges faced in the border environment between the two countries.
The agreement was signed between the Ministry of Commerce which was represented by Mr. Melusi Masuku, Principal Secretary in the presence of officials of the Eswatini Revenue Authority is an important milestone in a long-term vision of the multi-stakeholder National Trade Facilitation Committee to promote cross border trade. The Ngwenya/Oshoek border is the most important commercial crossing. It joins Eswatini’s main road carriageway, the MR3, links with Mpumalanga’s N17 provincial road to the multi-national N4 Maputo Corridor. That corridor is a vital structure of regional integration that connects Mozambique on the Indian Ocean Coast in the east with Walvis Bay in Namibia on the Atlantic Ocean in the West. The route runs through South Africa and Botswana.
Earlier this year, the champions of increased efficiency at the border, Business Eswatini’s Nathi Dlamini and Eswatini Revenue Service projected that processes to establish a one-stop border where customs officials on each side of the border would process all the documents allowing commercial trucks to pass through after only making one stop. Currently, commercial vehicles have to stop on both sides of the border, wasting significant time while customers wait for deliveries.
The agreement in which South Africa was represented by by Border Management Authority (BMA) Commissioner, Dr Michael Masiapato is hailed as the outcome of a shared vision to manage borders for improved efficiency.
The Bilateral Joint Action Plan includes commitments to enhance the existing approach to managing the borders including the harmonisation of policy and procedures and joint organisation of resources and structures to support efficient movements and trade facilitation.
A similar agreement between South Africa and Mozambique was signed in 2023.
Jm/BMA statement/today/7.10.2024
