Ezulwini– Trade between Eswatini and South Africa reached approximately E63.5 billion in 2025, reflecting a six percent year-on-year increase and highlighting the deep economic ties between the two neighbouring countries.
Addressing stakrholders and taxpayers at the Eswatini Revenue Service (ERS) Taxpayer and Client Appreciation Day on Friday, South African Revenue Service (SARS) Commissioner Dr Johnstone Makhubu said the growing volume of trade reinforced the need for stronger collaboration between the two revenue authorities to facilitate legitimate commerce while protecting public revenue.
“Our countries are deeply interconnected economically. Trade between South Africa and Eswatini reached approximately E63.5 billion in 2025, growing by six percent year-on-year, demonstrating the scale and significance of our relationship. Goods, services, people, ideas and opportunities move continuously across our borders,” Makhubu said.
He said the two countries share more than a 430-kilometre border, describing their relationship as one built on a common history, culture and an intertwined economic future.
“When Eswatini prospers, South Africa benefits. When South Africa grows, Eswatini benefits. Our prosperity is interconnected, our challenges are interconnected, and increasingly, the solutions we pursue must also be interconnected,” he said.
Makhubu said the increasing trade volumes placed greater responsibility on both revenue administrations to strengthen cooperation in customs management, tax compliance and border security to support economic growth while curbing illicit trade.
He noted that both SARS and the ERS were united by the shared objective of strengthening domestic resource mobilisation, which he described as the cornerstone of economic sovereignty.
According to Makhubu, effective domestic revenue collection enables governments to finance critical public services such as schools, hospitals, roads, ports, digital infrastructure and social protection programmes using resources generated within their own economies rather than relying on external funding.
He also praised businesses that comply with tax laws, saying voluntary compliance was fundamental to building resilient economies.
“You are not merely taxpayers. You are nation-builders,” he told business leaders attending the event.
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