Question NW262 to the Minister of Transport

Reply:

a) The Department of Transport and /or its Entities do not manage road traffic at the mouth of the border, it falls within the Nkomazi Local Municipality jurisdiction supported by the Mpumalanga Department of Public Works in line with Schedule 5 Part B of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. However, the Cross-Border Road Transport Agency (C-BRTA) supports and contributes to the unimpeded flow of goods and passengers between South Africa and her neighbouring states through its law enforcement arm.

b) Since the Department of Transport and or its entities does not monitor traffic as stipulated above it has not done surveys to ascertain the impact of this practice. However, such a practice can contribute to the bridge collapse, congestion, reduction of efficiencies, lack of compliance to road traffic regulations and does not promote road safety.

Looking into the future, the C-BRTA is in a process of implementing a pilot, with the South African Revenue Service (SARS), on an Operator Compliance Accreditation System (OCAS) and Authorised Economic Operator (AEO). This pilot will fast-track accredited trucks to cross the border with limited interventions from border stakeholders. Furthermore, the C-BRTA is also in a process of negotiating with other government and private stakeholders regarding the implementation of a new electronic Queue Management system that will allow trucks to the border to be allocated designated time slots, the electronic queue management system will also be implemented together with a holding facility closer to the mouth of the border as there is no parking space along the corridor for such truck volumes. If trucks arrive at the border before their allocated time slots, they will then be allocated numbers on arrival and be released when called by border authorities to cross. These measures will alleviate congestion at the border and eliminate the possible utilisation of the Komatipoort Bridge as a parking space for trucks.