The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs says all land borders will close at 9pm daily – in line with lockdown restrictions.
This as several ports of entry into Botswana, Lesotho, Eswathini, Namibia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe are preparing to re-open on Monday.
Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi is scheduled to be at Lebombo Border Post on Monday, while Deputy Minister Njabulo Nzuza will visit Beitbridge and Director-General Tommy Makhode will check the situation at Maseru Bridge and Ficksburg.
The borders were closed on January 11 as part of the country’s efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 following the moving of the country from lockdown level 1 to adjusted level 3 lockdown amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in late December.
The National COGTA spokesperson Lungi Mtshali says some border will open 24 hours.
“With the extension, there are further amendments and one of them is the borders – the 20 land borders – that were providing limited or restricted services are now fully operational. As of tomorrow, they will be fully operational. Some of the borders were open 24 hours and some were open until midnight – but due to the curfew and restrictions those borders will now close at 9pm o’clock.”
#DHA Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi leads the deployment of senior managers of #DHA to key land border posts following Cabinet approval of the reopening of the land borders on 15 February 2021 pic.twitter.com/9KmAf1rp81
— HomeAffairsSA (@HomeAffairsSA) February 13, 2021
This comes after Cabinet approved the extension of the national state of disaster until the 15th of March as South Africa battles the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic with vaccines yet to be rolled out this month.
The national state of disaster was first implemented in March 2020 by President Cyril Ramaphosa to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Mtshali says the extension will be effective from Monday. “The national state of disaster has been further extended by a month to 15 March which means that the lockdown restrictions are still applicable on adjusted level 3. The extension will be effective from tomorrow but it was gazetted on the 13th.”
COVID-19 statistics in South Africa:
The Health Department has reported 2 382 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the number of total infections to 1 490 063 in the last 24 hours.
There have been a further 151 COVID-19 related deaths in the country, bringing the national death toll to 47 821.
The total number of recoveries stands at 1 385 996.
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