TRUCKS FINALLY ENTER NGWENYA BORDER GATE

MBABANE – Truck drivers who had been stuck at Ngwenya Border Gate since Tuesday night were able to enter the country yesterday.

The truckers parked the vehicles, in which they were transporting various goods to Eswatini from the Republic of South Africa, at the border gate for safety reasons due to the ongoing protests for political reforms in the country. One of the truck drivers found at the border gate expressed relief that he was finally able to enter the country since his arrival at the border gate on Tuesday. He said he was one of several truck drivers who had parked their vehicles for safety reasons. Some of the truck drivers from Eswatini said they were worried about the safety of their families in the country and, on the other hand, they could not risk entering the country in fear of having the trucks looted of their loads and being burnt by the protestors.

A senior officer based at the border gate said many truck drivers decided to park their vehicles at the border gate to avoid being attacked by the protesters or other people who may have taken advantage of the situation to steal from them. During a visit at the border gate by these reporters, it was observed that it was a normal day as everyone went about their usual business, except for motorists who had queued for fuel in their vehicles and others carried containers of various sizes. Worth noting was that no damage was caused at the border gate and the nearby shops, as well as the market stalls.

Wares

Vendors went about their business of selling fruits and vegetables and others sold airtime and other wares. Some of the motorists who were at the border gate came from Mbabane and other areas in search of fuel and by going to Ngwenya, they were trying to avoid long queues in the city. Meanwhile, At Dalton Shopping Centre, along the way to Ngwenya Border Gate, a group of people who were singing and chanting political slogans are alleged to have damaged property and the shopping centre and emptied a warehouse belonging to Lewis Furnishers. A security guard found at the premises said the soldiers told him that the protestors came from the direction of Motshane where a shop was found broken into in the morning and all items inside stolen.

He said no sooner had the soldier advised him to leave the premises, he heard the protestors singing political songs nearby and the soldiers fired warning shots. The security guard said the gunfire seemed to have angered them as they hurled stones at the building and the soldiers and some of them descended from a nearby hill opposite the shopping complex.

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