Three illegal immigrants have been arrested on Wednesday, morning and goods confiscated and destroyed at the 11th Trans-Kalahari Corridor (TKC) Joint Law Enforcement Operation (JLEO) ‘Thank-A-Trucker’ campaign held on the N4 route in Rustenburg, North West. The Trans-Kalahari Corridor ( TKC) which consists of law enforcement agencies from South Africa, Botswana and Namibia is aimed at preventing cross-border crimes between the three countries as well as to ensure compliance with rules of the road.
‘Thank-A-Trucker’ campaign is set to appreciate the truck drivers for the role they play in the economies of the Three Member States and SADC countries at large. The three countries, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the 3rd of 2003 in Windhoek, Namibia, with the aim of ensuring complete compliance of motorists on the Trans-Kalahari Corridor.
The tripartite agreement was reached to enhance trade and deepen social and economic integration between the three countries. The last JLEO that was hosted in South Africa was in 2018, followed by the 2019 in Namibia before being interrupted by the COVID-19. The JLEO started with a two-day information sharing session on Monday and Tuesday, where the three Member State discussed issues around policies, Road Traffic Act to improve services within the corridor, maintaining law and order by dealing with criminal activities and ensuring total compliance on the route.
Co-Chairperson Segodi Mogotsi of the Trans-Kalahari Corridor representing South Africa, believes the programme has been largely successful since its inception in 2003, adding that Trucks are often blamed for causing accidents and that perception overshadows the positive contribution of the trucking industry,
“trade volumes have started to increase tremendously along the corridor and there is a need to achieve the transport and trade facilitation objectives and deeper regional integration as espoused by Southern African Customs Union (SACU), Southern African Development Community (SADC) and New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD.
“Also with this campaign – ‘Thank-A-Trucker’- we want to show our appreciation to all the truck drivers for their contributions in the economy. These male and female truck driver showed their dedication during Covid-19 as they worked very hard whilst some of us where at home”, said Mogotsi.
Meanwhile, The Namibian Co-Chair, Dr Cedric Limbo said transportation is key to economic development and it is the backbone of any economy. “You may have your industry, but you need transport to get the products to the factories and markets.” emphasized Limbo.
He called upon Member States to ensure that the Trans Kalahari Corridor is not only a transport corridor but upgraded to a developmental and economic corridor. Speaking on behalf of the Botswana delegation, Omphemetse Mashiqa thanked South Africa for chairing and hosting the first JLEO after the COVID-19 pandemic. The Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula is expected to grace the operation on Thursday in Rustenburg N4, Road.
