Komatipoort - Travellers crossing the Lebombo border between Mpumalanga and Mozambique can expect lighter traffic this festive season.
Taxis, buses and bakkies carrying passengers will be diverted off the N4 onto the Coopersdale road and directed to the KM7 facility for bulk processing as of December 13.
"This will happen on a 24-hour basis until 25 December or until the traffic is manageable at the port and we can close the KM7 for bulk processing,” said Barbara Mommen, chief executive officer of the Maputo Corridor Logistics Initiative (MCLI).
She said the Lebombo border usually suffered backlogs, congestion and delays between December and January when mine workers, families and tourists passed through it.
Mommen said trucks and small vehicles will continue to use the N4 over the holiday period.
The 24-hour border service will only be offered to passenger vehicles at the border, however, and not to cargo vehicles.
"MCLI wants to facilitate the quick movement of cargo through the port and allowing trucks to queue during the night will defeat the process of bulk clearance," Mommen explained.
She said cargo clearance will continue to operate between the usual hours of 6am to 10pm.
Vehicles that need to be escorted will monitored by traffic officers, the Cross-Border Road Transport Agency and the South African Revenue Service in batches. An escort lane will also be established.
"There will be a large traffic control presence from Marloth Park to the border and drivers not adhering to the rules of the road will face severe penalties with a clear message from the traffic authorities that they will especially enforce on drivers who (jump the queue),” Mommen warned.
Meanwhile, Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC Vusi Shongwe has urged motorists to be cautious as rain continues to fall in most parts of the province.
Three people died on the N4 between Middelburg and Belfast on Monday.
Shongwe said in a statement that the crash, which occurred when a Volkswagen Polo sedan and an articulated truck collided head-on, happened around 5pm on Monday.
"All three occupants in the sedan, including the driver, died on the scene. The driver of the truck sustained minor injuries," he said.
He said the police were investigating three cases of culpable homicide.
The MEC has further called on community members to report any bad driving to authorities.
“We must be patient, tolerate one another and also drive in such a way that we are mindful of various factors that affect conditions on the road including the weather. Most crashes are avoidable and all it takes is for increased vigilance on the part of motorists and many lives could be saved,” Shongwe said. – SAnews.gov.za
