Chairperson, the Department of Transport is represented in the Border Control Operational Co-ordination Committee, BCOCC. It's an interdepartmental structure which is responsible for co- ordinating the activities and plans of various government departments and agencies that are operating at the border crossings.
This particular co-ordinating committee, the BCOCC, is under the leadership of Sars and is responsible for the implementation of a one-stop border post at the Lebombo-Ressano Garcia border post, which you were specifically asking about. The construction work on the South African side will commence in the next three months and will cover, amongst other things, the creation of a truck clearance facility which will be set back approximately eight kilometres outside the border crossing. There will also be a bypass road linking Lebombo to Ressano Garcia.
This will help to expedite the processing of freight trucks. The intention is to complete this phase by or before June 2010.
The Department of Transport is also providing input into the actual design of the border crossing to ensure that sufficient lanes, including fast lanes, are created to separate different types of traffic crossing the border.
The Department of Transport, through the Cross-Border Road Transport Agency, which falls under it, also provides inputs regarding the location of cross-border taxi and bus facilities in and around the border. We understand that the taxi facility is currently located right at the border gate and this contributes to the conflict between passengers and vehicle traffic.
There are a couple of other things we would like to mention. One of them is the rail issue where the Department of Transport, in conjunction with the Mpumalanga provincial government and Shosholoza Meyl, were in discussions to revitalise the Komatipoort rail facility. The aim is to divert at least some of the cross-border passengers as well as cargo traffic onto rail and off the road.
Finally, the Department of Transport is in the process of developing a freight movement optimisation plan for all major border crossings, which includes the Lebombo crossing. The intention is to ensure an unencumbered flow of both passenger and cargo traffic at these border crossings. Thank you.