MAHAMBA – South African police were forced to transfer detainees from Mahamba Police Station in Mkhondo to other facilities across Mpumalanga following the sudden closure of the Mahamba Border Post yesterday.
The border between Eswatini and South Africa was shut down due to a water crisis that disrupted operations at the port of entry, affecting cross-border trade, public health, and the movement of goods and people.
Authorities on the South African side moved inmates and trial-awaiting suspects from the Mahamba station after the water supply failed, raising concerns about hygiene and basic human rights. The issue stemmed from a mechanical failure of the generator responsible for pumping water to the area.
The acting provincial spokesperson for the South African Police Service in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant Colonel Juba Noubane, confirmed that although the police station remains operational, the port of entry has been closed indefinitely.
Truckloads of goods, including essential supplies such as food and medicine, have been stuck on both sides of the border. The backlog has affected patients in Eswatini who depend on South African health facilities in towns like Piet Retief and Ermelo, especially given the ongoing shortage of medicines in local hospitals.
“I’ve seen people’s health deteriorate because there is no medicine in our clinics and hospitals. Some have died. Others try to make it to South Africa for treatment, but now they’re stuck,” said a woman found stranded on the Eswatini side of the border.
Local traders and commuters are also feeling the pressure, with Mahamba serving as a key economic artery between Eswatini and Mkhondo. Residents have resorted to informal routes, raising fears over the rise in illegal crossings.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has urged travellers to use alternative border posts while technicians work to restore water services at Mahamba.
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