The Trans-Kalahari Corridor Secretariat has proposed a virtual queueing system to member states of the TKCS that will hopefully reduce waiting time at borders along the route through Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa.This was revealed by Leslie Mpofu, executive director of the TKCS in Windhoek earlier this year.“If a transporter’s cargo documents are in order, a driver will be able to book his space at one of the border crossings without having to wait unnecessarily,” he says.But uninterrupted internet connectivity is crucial for such a system to work, and therein lies the rub.“At the corridor’s western crossing of Buitepos and Mamuno we haven’t got any issues, especially since the recent introduction of an ID-only thoroughfare for drivers registered in Namibia and Botswana.”Sadly, the same cannot be said for the eastern crossing of Skilpadshek on the N4 Platinum Highway in South Africa.“I was there recently and the problem is load-shedding,” Mpofu says.“When the power goes off, the border often doesn’t have enough diesel to keep its generator going, forcing border personnel and cargo clearing agents to revert to manual processes.”This can be confirmed, Mpofu says, by Mike Fitzmaurice, chief executive of the Federation of East and Southern African Road Transport Associations (Fesar ta).As if it’s not bad enough that the border west of Zeerust is often affected by power utility Eskom’s forced power outages, officials at the border often feel unsafe after hours.“If the power goes off and there’s no fuel for backup power, there’s no light, so manual processes can’t be done, meaning the border shuts down. Also, officials are too scared to venture outside in pitch darkness in an area known for being rife with snakes,” Mpofu says.In recent times, Fesarta has also frequently warned about sporadic unrest along the N4 route in the Zeerust area, sparked by residents of informal dwellings protesting against a lack of service delivery.
