Oshoek Border Post Closed After Coal Truck Crashes Into Vehicles and Guardhouses, SA Not Surprised

• A 32-ton truck ploughed through 15 vehicles, two guardhouses and an inspection shelter at the border
• The truck's brakes reportedly failed, leading to the accident, which forced the closure of the Oshoek border post
• South Africans expressed frustration that this wasn't the first accident of its nature at the border post

MPUMALANGA – Three people were injured when a 32-ton truck was involved in a freak accident at the Oshoek border post between South Africa and Eswatini.

The coal truck crashed into 15 vehicles, two guardhouses and an inspection shelter on the morning of 26 January 2025, forcing the closure of the port of entry.

The Border Management Authority (BMA) confirmed that the Oshoek border post will remain closed until the disaster management teams give it the all clear, with some concerns that it may take as long as one month.

Brake failure blamed for accident

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According to officials on the scene, the truck was heading towards the Eswatini border when its brakes failed. The truck crashed into 10 private vehicles, four South African Revenue Service (SARS) vehicles and a South African National Defence Force (SANDF) vehicle. An official from SARS official, a tourism monitor and the truck driver were all taken to hospital for treatment.

Cargo transports that use the port of entry have been advised to use the Jeppes, Mahamba and Nerston ports of entry as alternatives.

The closure of the border comes two months after the Mozambican border had to be closed due to violent protests in the country. When the border eventually opened on 11 November, over 1,200 cargo trucks were processed.

The South African economy also lost millions as a result of the border being closed for that long.

South Africans claim area is dangerous

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Social media users weighed in on the accident, with many saying that the area was an accident scene waiting to happen.

Pieter A Swanepoel said:

“This is not the first time and will not be the last one.”

Thami Thafa Ndlovu stated:

“That border has no planning. You come from uphill, then go down to the border gate. If the truck’s brakes fail?”

Bongumusa Myeza Hamilton added:

“This border is becoming a high accident zone. Last month something similar happened.”

Teresa Spaumer Pelser said:

“The same thing happened a month ago, and they did not learn from it.”

Sibo Mamba added:

“That no one died is a miracle. But this is the second time this has happened. A similar accident happened not long ago at the same border. There needs to be a serious conversation between authorities on both sides of the border about the situation there. The increasing volume of trucks entering and exiting both countries places massive pressure on the infrastructure and traffic movement. An alternative solution is to upgrade nearby smaller border posts to divert traffic, especially if one is driving to Manzini or Matsapha and they don't need to drive through Mbabane. There's a small border post that leads into Bhunya. But the road on the Eswatini side is not very good at some points, and the border closes very early.”

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South African arrested at Oshoek border post

A 39-year-old South African was arrested after trying to get past the border with a black plastic bag full of cash on 25 September 2024.

Briefly News reported that the money, which was over R420,000, was suspected to have been stolen and the man was arrested.

Social media users compared it to Cyril Ramaphosa having undeclared foreign currency at his Phala Phala game farm.

Source: Briefly News