The Minister for Finance Honourable Neal Rijkenberg has acknowledged that recent border congestion affecting emaSwati traveling to South Africa underscores the importance of expanding local services and investments.
Speaking during the latest episode of Finance in Focus, Rijkenberg addressed growing concerns over delays at border crossings following the introduction of new South African declaration requirements for vehicles and goods valued above R25,000.
The minister said the new regulations have resulted in lengthy queues as travellers are now required to obtain permits before entering South Africa. While authorities are working to resolve technical challenges affecting the permit application process, Rijkenberg urged emaSwati to plan ahead and secure the necessary documentation in advance.
“We are aware that there is a backlog at the borders,” he said. “These permits are valid for six months, so if possible, people should obtain them ahead of time rather than waiting until the day they need to travel,” he emphasized.
However, beyond the immediate inconvenience, Rijkenberg said the situation presents an opportunity for businesses and policymakers to reflect on the country’s economic development priorities.
“It just means that we need to try, as our economy, to do more in our economy,” he said.The minister noted that many emaSwati travel across the border for shopping, medical treatment and other services, resulting in the outflow of spending that could otherwise support domestic businesses and job creation.
He said the country should focus on expanding local investment in sectors such as healthcare, retail and professional services to ensure citizens can access more goods and services without leaving Eswatini.
Rijkenberg pointed to recent investments in the retail sector, including the opening of a major shopping centre in Manzini, as examples of efforts aimed at retaining consumer spending within the local economy.
The minister’s remarks come as government simultaneously rolls out reforms designed to improve access to public services through a partnership involving the Ministry of Finance, the Eswatini Revenue Service (ERS) and the Eswatini Post and Telecommunications Corporation (EPTC).
Under the initiative, revenue collection services previously offered through Treasury offices are being transferred to post offices across the country, significantly expanding the number of service points available to the public.
Rijkenberg said the arrangement will make government services more accessible, particularly for people living outside major urban centres.
“We have now made a deal with ERS to take over all of our revenue offices, and ERS has made a deal with the Post Office,” he said. “Our revenue services will now be done through the post offices,” he added.
The move forms part of government’s broader decentralisation agenda, which seeks to bring services closer to citizens while improving efficiency and reducing travel costs.
Although the transition has been accompanied by temporary backlogs and queues at some service centres, Rijkenberg said authorities were moving quickly to address the challenges.
He said the Ministry of Finance, ERS and EPTC are working together to increase staffing levels, improve training and streamline operations to ensure the new system functions effectively.
“The ministry as well as EPTC is working aggressively on this to try and reduce that, providing more staff and doing what we can to improve service delivery,” he noted.
Rijkenberg expressed confidence that the bottlenecks would be resolved within the coming weeks, describing the decentralisation programme as a critical reform that will ultimately improve service delivery and support economic participation across the country.
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