South Africa To Make Changes To Its Borders As It Prepares For Multi-Trillion Rand Trade Deal

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet has approved a draft One-Stop Border Policy (OSBP) for public consultation.

In a post-cabinet briefing on Friday (4 December), government said that the creation of the OSBP seeks to ‘harmonise the movement of people and goods between South Africa’s land ports of entry and its neighbouring countries’. The proposals in the policy further seek to address congestion which results in delays, particularly by cross-border travellers and traders. The draft policy will be gazetted for public comment during the first quarter of 2021. The new border policy comes in preparation for the new African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which will come into effect from 1 January 2021. The AfCFTA aims to build an integrated market in Africa that will see a pool of over a billion people with a combined GDP of approximately US$3.3 trillion. Ramaphosa has said that through the trade area, the continent’s leaders are determined to build strong and inclusive economies through industrialisation and the beneficiation of the minerals and commodities.