South African authorities implemented legislation requiring all travellers from Mozambique to prove they hold enough funds to cover their visit, either by showing R3000 minimum or by providing a credit card with a bank statement, the Maputo Corridor Logistics Initiative (MCLI) said in a statement today. This led to considerable delays for freight, tourists, business and informal traders, which was worsened when a riot and blockade broke out at the Lebombo/Ressano Garcia border post.

Following the blockade the requirements were withdrawn, allowing traffic to pass through the border.

In their statement the MCLI declared they will directly contact the Minister of Home Affairs to settle the issue. “This requirement takes us back to the pre 2005 era where similar requirements were implemented”, the statement says, “and [it] is in direct conflict with the regional integration policy of SADC which expressly seeks to promote the ease of movement of people and goods through our borders.”

The statement calls the implementation for this legislation discriminatory towards informal traders who move through the border on a daily basis, and warns the long term impact on the region’s economy could be “dire”. Source: Club of Mozambique