JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa has temporarily closed its main border crossing with Mozambique over safety concerns, its government news agency said on Wednesday, as protests against last month’s disputed election in Mozambique continue to escalate.
South Africa has closed the Lebombo port of entry in its Mpumalanga province after receiving reports of vehicles being torched on the Mozambican side, the government news agency said.
“Due to these security incidents and in the interest of public safety, the port has been temporarily closed until further notice,” it quoted Michael Masiapato, the commissioner of the Border Management Authority as saying on Tuesday night.
Masiapato said the border authority would reopen the Lebombo crossing as soon as it was safe to do so.
The latest protests in Mozambique are part of a week of demonstrations called by presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane, who came second in official results for the Oct. 9 election but claims to have won.
The protests are set to culminate in a “national shutdown” and march on the capital Maputo on Thursday.
At least 10 people have been killed and scores injured in protests in which demonstrators have burned tires, blocked roads and marched to offices of the ruling party, Frelimo. Authorities have responded with tear gas and live ammunition, according to human rights groups, and restricted access to the internet.
The electoral commission has declined to comment on opposition allegations of fraud, while Frelimo has not replied to requests for comment.
(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya and Sisipho Skweyiya in Johannesburg and Manuel Mucari in Maputo; Editing by Alexander Winning and Ros Russell)
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