From crisis to recovery: Lebombo port operations resume after Mozambique election unrest

The Lebombo Port of Entry, a crucial gateway for trade between South Africa and Mozambique, has fully resumed operations following a turbulent period marked by political unrest in Mozambique.

The border's return to normalcy follows the Mozambique October elections, where the opposition disputed the results and alleged fraud in the election of the president.

Mozambique's former presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane and President Daniel Chapo met on Sunday night, according to a Wednesday report from the Mozambique Information Agency.

According to the report, Mondlane has publicly claimed that he won the election but expressed that he is willing to engage in dialogue.

In a Facebook broadcast, Mondlane stated that he and Chapo agreed to end the violence. He called on his supporters to stop all violent acts against the police, including the riot police and Frelimo members.

Mondlane also said Chapo promised to encourage his supporters to commit to ending the violence.

Border Management Authority (BMA) spokesperson Mmemme Mogotsi confirmed on Wednesday that the Lebombo Port of Entry is operational for both travellers and cargo movements.

Mogotsi stated that there is no unrest affecting movements.

Tonny Molise, deputy president of the Trucking Association of SA (Tasa), said the border post is event-free and traffic is flowing as usual.

“We have not encountered any challenges in terms of traffic flow or processing. There is no suspension of truck processing at this time. Everything is moving smoothly and as expected,” he said.

Molise said while there were delays when processing was suspended, leading to some financial strain on businesses, it is difficult to quantify the exact monetary losses at this stage.

“It’s safe to say that the disruption resulted in additional costs in terms of time, resources, and logistics,” said Molise.

According to Molise, there have been no significant job losses or business closures as a direct result of the suspension at the Lebombo border as far as he is aware.

He noted how industry stakeholders, including transport operators, customs officials, and logistics companies, worked collaboratively to find alternate solutions when disruptions occurred.

“Many operators diversified their routes and processes to minimize delays and prevent supply chain interruptions,” noting that the resumption of traffic flow at the border has alleviated much of the burden.

It is important to note that the recent smooth operation of the border is a significant achievement and a step in the right direction for both the trucking industry and cross-border trade, he stated.

“We hope that this progress continues, ensuring minimal disruptions for all stakeholders involved. The collaboration between South African and Mozambican authorities has been key to making this possible,” said Molise.

Malcolm Hartwell, Norton Rose Fulbright director and master mariner, explained that the logistics and mining industries rely heavily on the Lebombo border post to gain access to Maputo.

“In the last few years, Maputo port has seen a massive increase in freight volumes as importers and exporters seek to reduce their reliance on South Africa’s inefficient and expensive ports. This has seen the development of a number of specialist terminals at Maputo to service the mining, fruit, and car industries and seen a massive rise in volumes passing through Lebombo,” he said.

Hartwell said unless a resolution to the political crisis in Mozambique is found, there is no doubt that it will affect existing and further investment in Maputo port and terminals.

“Although this may be good news for the South African port and port services industries, again, the costs both in terms of delays and increased handling costs will ultimately be borne by the consumer,” stated Hartwell.

At the height of the border closure in December 2024, Gavin Kelly, CEO of the Road Freight Association, said it was clear that without the road freight route to the Port of Maputo through Lebombo, many South African mining companies faced a very bleak future.

“Our own ports and rail systems have failed us and the only alternative left to many industries was to make use of the Port of Maputo,” he said.

Describing the atmosphere at the time, Kelly said SA drivers, trucks, customers’ cargo, and the business image of thousands of African businesses were all threatened day after day.

He said drivers were beaten although they had nothing to do with the political landscape in Mozambique. Trucks were looted and burnt, while roads to the Port of Maputo were blockaded and the very port itself placed under siege.

RFA estimated that during the full closure and suspension of Port of Maputo operations and the cessation of any road freight logistics within Mozambique, costs were around R10 million a day to the SA economy only.

“Direct losses to freight logistics are around R6 million including damage to/loss of vehicles, injury/loss of drivers, looting of loads, inability to retrieve vehicles/disruptions of exports/imports/loss of business due to consignment loads not being fulfilled/loss of fleet capacity to perform linked or other load agreements/loss of revenue for operations/extra security deployments.

"The remaining R4 million a day was lost in other sectors including servicing, manufacturing, tourism, retail, mining, and agriculture,” he said.

Border specialist Kage Barnett said as of December 2024, the BMA reported that the border post had reopened for pedestrian and small-vehicle traffic.

However, Barnett said the processing of cargo trucks went through several temporary closures.

“Daily numbers over the last month or so have shown significant progression towards full operations with daily numbers for both directions, well over 1 300 vehicles a day,” he said.

According to Barnett, the sporadic suspension of truck processing at the Lebombo border has had significant economic repercussions.

He said the losses estimated by RFA stem from delays in the delivery of cargo to the Port of Maputo, leading to penalties for exporters and disruptions in supply chains. 

“It is also important to keep in mind that Lebombo Border is one of the busiest borders on the continent, second only to Malaba OSBP between Kenya and Uganda that handles over 2 000 vehicles a day in each direction,” said Barnett.

While precise figures on monetary and job losses are not fully detailed, the cumulative impact on the logistics and mining sectors is substantial, he said.

Furthermore, Barnett said the closure had also disrupted international supply chains, affecting a wide range of stakeholders, including transport operators, cargo owners, as well as a multitude of others.

“The financial strain on these industries has likely led to job losses in some cases and reduced economic activity in regions dependent on cross-border trade,” he said.

In response to the suspension, he said industry stakeholders have sought alternative solutions to mitigate the impact.

“Some companies have rerouted cargo through other borders, but bad road conditions, inadequate parking or facilities at smaller entry points meant this was not incredibly successful. Also, keep in mind that these alternatives often involve longer transit times and higher costs.” 

Barnett emphasised that the situation at the Lebombo border and Mozambique currently underscores the critical importance of stable and efficient border operations for regional trade and economic stability.

“The disruptions have highlighted vulnerabilities in the logistics network and the need for contingency planning to address such unforeseen events,” he said.

karen.singh@inl.co.za