Informal cross-border business operators between South Africa and Zimbabwe say their businesses will be negatively affected should borders be closed as a way of controlling the rising COVID-19 infections. Omicron, a new variant, has been detected in South Africa.
This has also led to several countries banning travellers from South Africa.
Some of the people at the Beitbridge Border Post between South Africa and Zimbabwe say they are worried about a possible hard lockdown.
“I am earning a living through helping those immigrants who are travelling in and out of the country. Mr Ramaphosa if he closes this border for now this will affect me and my family as a whole, me and several people, we survive from this border. If he closes the border, we face many consequences, yes he should leave the borders open because once he closes the borders there will be congestion and people’s movements will be limited, unlike when it is open people are moving freely,” says an operator.
Travellers avoid being stranded as South Africa experiences a spike in COVID-19 cases:
Meanwhile, operations are continuing as normal at the Lebombo border post with Mozambique in Komatipoort, Mpumalanga.
A number of people crossed the border into South Africa for shopping, as Black Friday specials come to an end.
Border Control’s Colonel Obed Maditsi says their operations at the border are normal.
“The numbers that we are expecting on Sundays as you may remember that Fridays would have a lot of departure people that are leaving into Mozambique and Sundays, they are coming back and also bearing in mind that Black Friday was contributing factor in terms of people. Enter the country early in the morning just to go and do some shopping in Mbombela and also leaving so the numbers experienced at the border both departure and arrival are still the same. So there is no panic departure that the port is experiencing that is departing to Mozambique,” says Maditsi.
NCCC moved up meeting, sparks rumours of an imminent hard lockdown:
