The Southern Africa Cross Border Traders Association (SACBTA) has observed a reduction in cross border traders going to South Africa despite the easing of Covid-19 restrictions.
Speaking in an interview with Money FM News, Association General Secretary Jacob Makambwe said the association has however witnessed a further reduction in the number of traders travelling to South Africa on business trips.
Mr Makambwe said the easing of restrictions is a gradual process of putting up measures to help facilitate movement of traders from one country to the other.
“We have not seen much in terms of passenger buses leaving for Johannesburg, because of that particular announcement, but what we are seen is some kind of reduction in the number of people that would be travelling,” Mr Makambwe said.
He added that the association is yet to establish if the lifting of the Covid-19 restrictions in that country will result in an increase in the number of traders traveling to that country.
Meanwhile, Mr Makambwe says the organization is proposing the need for the traders to work in cooperatives so that they can be able to procure the goods in bulk by allowing only a few people to go and order the items.