South Africa’s main logistics border with Eswatini has officially reopened to road freight, despite conflicting reports circulating on social media.
Cross-border trade facilitator Louise Wiggett confirmed that a limited number of trucks were allowed through the Oshoek Border Post on Monday night, January 27.
By Tuesday, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) verified that operations had been fully restored following a severe collision on Sunday morning.
The accident occurred when a fully loaded 32-tonne coal truck, with a maximum capacity of 56 tonnes, suffered brake failure on the N17 approach, crashing into 15 vehicles before overturning at the border gate. The impact caused extensive damage to several brick-and-mortar facilities at Oshoek.
Freight News contributor James Hall, based in Mbabane, also confirmed that the border was operational. He verified this with TransMagnifique, a Swazi shuttle service operating four daily trips between Johannesburg and Eswatini.
However, confusion arose when the Eswatini Government announced on social media that the border had reopened just after 7 p.m. on Monday.
SARS spokesperson Siphithi Sibeko initially refuted this claim, stating that, given the extent of the damage, it was evident that Oshoek remained closed.
Additionally, the Border Management Authority (BMA) had previously indicated that operations would remain suspended, though it is unclear whether they later issued an update.
Despite the conflicting reports, Wiggett confirmed unequivocally: “I can confirm that the border is open.”
