20 Mar 2014

Closure of the Martins Drift border post due to overflowing of Limpopo River has affected businesses between Botswana and South Africa.

The border post was closed on March 13 following threats by overflowing Limpopo River which separated the two countries. Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS) officer in charge, Mr Okitlanye Morale said in an interview that the border post was mostly used by trucks transporting goods into the country or neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe, Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo.

He said the trucks together with business people purchasing goods from South Africa generated income for the country in the form of Value Added Tax on goods and customs duty.

He said BURS officials whose mandate was to collect revenue, had not been able to do so due to the closure of the border. He however, said trucks that usually crossed through Martins Drift border post had diverted their route to cross the border at Tlokweng border post, saying that this will help in terms of revenue to collection.

Mr Joseph Rukwava, a retail manager at Kwa Nokeng Lodge, Barcelos and Caltex filling station said business had gone down since the closure of the border. He said the lodge was closed on Thursday because some of the water had covered part of it.

He said normally guests slept at the lodge and cross the border the next day but since the closure they had not taken in any guests. The filling station and Barcelos chicken outlet weree no exception.

He said the situation had serious implications on his business to an extent that he reduced operating times. He said if the border takes longer to be open he will be forced to trim his staff.

Ms Bosekeng Moepe who owns a tuckshop near the border also decried lack of business as a result of the closure of border post. She said her main customers were truck drivers and employees working at the border post.

She said since the border was closed her business had suffered a serious loss. Meanwhile the water at Limpopo River had subsided but the South African Groblersbrug border post had suffered a serious damaged. Ends