Ministerial visit to R40 and Lebombo Border

The Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy and MEC Thulasizwe Thomo paid a visit to Lebombo Border to assess the state of operations at the Port of Entry.  For this part of her visit, she was joined by her Mozambiquan counterpart, Joao Jorge Matlombe.  The conducted a site visit to the KM-7 truck facility to have a look at the recent and ongoing upgrades and efforts to improve efficiency and ensure quicker transit, particularly for carriers of perishable goods and critical minerals to the ports in Mozambique.  She also engaged the Border Management Authority on plans to further    streamline operations, reduce congestion and enhance cross-border trade facilitation.

During the second day of her visit she inspected the badly damaged parts of the R40 before Hazyview and Bushbuckridge.  The R40 is regarded as   critical road infrastructure and the Minister focused on the slip failures     particularly the sections before Hazyview and withing Bushbuckridge Local Municipality.  Particular attention was given to R40 Section 5 at km 50.4 between Dwarsloop and Acornhoek.  The assessment focused on damage caused by recent heavy rains and evaluated current road safety conditions. 

The R40 and the Lebombo border play a critical role in linking Mpumalanga to Limpopo (Phalaborwa) and connecting the City of Mbombela to         Bushbuckridge, as well as tourists travelling onwards to the private reserves and Kruger National Park.

We are encouraged that these facilities are at the top of the list of priorities at the Minister’s office and we echo the MEC’s sentiments in supporting the efforts of the National Department of Transport in this response and across the various projects currently underway, as implemented by SANRAL.