Full loads
Dedicated tautliners, flatdecks, tri-axles and superlinks from Gauteng, Durban and Cape Town into any Botswana destination, priced per trip rather than per kilogram.
Road freight into Botswana, handled end to end
Botswana is landlocked, which means almost everything arrives by road, and most of it arrives through a South African border post. The lane is short but it is unforgiving: a missing document or the wrong border post turns a one-day run into a three-day one. We handle the transport and both customs entries ourselves, so there is one party accountable from collection to delivery.
Not sure who should carry cost and risk on a cross-border sale? Our Incoterms 2020 guide explains all eleven rules and which ones to use for Botswana and the wider SADC region.
Part loads and groupage
Smaller consignments consolidated onto scheduled departures for Gaborone and Francistown, which is the sensible option below roughly six pallets.
Abnormal and project cargo
Over-dimensional and over-mass loads with route surveys, permits and escorts arranged on both sides of the border.
Mining and energy supply
Reagents, consumables, spares and plant into the diamond, coal and soda ash operations, including packaged dangerous goods with the correct declarations.
Removals in transit
Household and office removals cleared under the removals-in-transit procedure, with the inventory prepared so the goods are not treated as a commercial import.
Bonded transit onward
Cargo moving through Botswana to Zambia, Zimbabwe or Namibia, entered in transit and acquitted properly so the bond is released.
Border posts we run
| South African side | Botswana side | Route from Gauteng | Typically used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skilpadshek | Pioneer Gate | N4 via Rustenburg and Zeerust | Gaborone, Lobatse, Jwaneng and Trans-Kalahari traffic to Namibia |
| Kopfontein | Tlokweng Gate | N4 to Zeerust, then north | Gaborone and eastern Botswana when Pioneer Gate is congested |
| Groblersbrug | Martins Drift | N1 and N11 via Mokopane | Palapye, Selebi-Phikwe, Francistown and onward transit to Zambia |
| Ramatlabama | Ramatlabama | N18 via Mahikeng | Lobatse and southern Botswana |
| McCarthys Rest | Middlepits | R31 via Kuruman | Western Botswana and Kgalagadi traffic |
The right border post is a routing decision, not a preference. Groblersbrug is the shorter run to the north and east, Skilpadshek is the natural crossing for Gaborone and the Trans-Kalahari Corridor, and queue conditions on the day can justify moving a load to Kopfontein. We confirm the crossing before the truck is dispatched and tell you if it changes.
Indicative road transit times from Johannesburg
| Destination | Approx. road distance | Full load | Groupage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaborone | 360 km | 1 day | 2 to 3 days |
| Lobatse | 430 km | 1 day | 2 to 3 days |
| Jwaneng | 530 km | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 4 days |
| Palapye | 560 km | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 4 days |
| Selebi-Phikwe | 620 km | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 4 days |
| Francistown | 700 km | 2 days | 3 to 5 days |
| Orapa | 800 km | 2 days | 4 to 5 days |
| Maun | 1 150 km | 2 to 3 days | 5 to 6 days |
| Kasane | 1 300 km | 3 days | 6 to 7 days |
Distances and transit times are indicative, measured from collection, and assume documents are in order before the truck loads. They exclude border queueing, which is the single largest variable on this lane and is worst around month-end and public holidays on either side. We quote a firm transit against your actual commodity and routing.
What SACU removes, and what it does not
South Africa and Botswana are both members of the Southern African Customs Union, so goods in free circulation move between the two without customs duty. That is where the simplification ends, and it is where most shippers get caught.
A customs declaration is still required on both sides. Goods must still be exported properly from South Africa and entered with the Botswana Unified Revenue Service on arrival. Botswana VAT is payable at import at the prevailing rate, and the importer needs to be registered to recover it. Goods of non-SACU origin that have not been entered for home consumption in South Africa cannot simply ride the union preference, and claiming origin you cannot document is how a load ends up detained.
We clear as a SARS-licensed agent on the South African side and work with our Botswana counterpart on the entry at destination, so the two entries are prepared against the same set of documents rather than assembled separately by parties who never speak.
Documents that keep a Botswana load moving
Commercial invoice
Full description, quantity, unit and total value, currency, Incoterm and both parties in full. Vague descriptions are the most common cause of a query at the border.
Packing list
Package count, marks and numbers, gross and net mass, and dimensions where the load is over-dimensional.
Customs declarations
The export entry on the South African side and the import entry with BURS, prepared against the same invoice and tariff classification.
Transport documents
Road manifest, vehicle and driver details, and the cross-border road transport permit for the operating vehicle.
Origin documentation
Where a preference or a local-content position is being claimed, the supporting origin evidence must exist before dispatch, not afterwards.
Permits for controlled goods
Dangerous goods declarations, and any import permit required for the specific commodity, arranged ahead of collection.
How we run a Botswana load
- You send the collection address, the delivery address, the commodity, the weight or volume and the Incoterm. If you are not sure of the Incoterm, tell us who is paying for what and we will name it.
- We price the lane, nominate the border post and confirm whether the load is a full truck or better consolidated.
- We check the documents before the vehicle loads. Anything missing is raised then, while it is still cheap to fix.
- Collection in Gauteng or elsewhere in South Africa, with the load secured and the manifest issued.
- Export entry lodged and cleared on the South African side.
- Import entry lodged with BURS, VAT and any charges settled, and the truck released.
- Delivery to site, with proof of delivery and the cleared entries returned to you for your records.
Mining, energy and project cargo
A large share of what crosses this border is not retail stock. It is plant, spares, reagents and consumables heading for operations that lose real money every hour they wait.
We move into and out of the diamond operations around Jwaneng and Orapa, the coal and power corridor at Morupule and Palapye, the soda ash and salt operation at Sua Pan, and the industrial base around Selebi-Phikwe and Francistown. That work brings over-dimensional loads, packaged dangerous goods, and delivery windows tied to a shutdown rather than a month-end.
Where cargo arrives from overseas for a Botswana consignee, we take it from the vessel at Durban or from OR Tambo, clear it, and run the road leg through to site as one movement rather than handing it between three unrelated suppliers.
Common questions on the Botswana lane
Is there duty on goods from South Africa into Botswana?
Not customs duty on goods in free circulation within SACU. Botswana VAT is still payable at import at the prevailing rate, and a customs entry is still required on both sides.
Which border post is fastest to Gaborone?
Skilpadshek into Pioneer Gate is the natural crossing for Gaborone. Kopfontein into Tlokweng Gate is the alternative when queues justify it. We confirm on the day.
Can you clear at the border as well as transport?
Yes. We are a SARS-licensed clearing agent, so the export entry and the transport are handled in house, and the BURS import entry is coordinated with our Botswana counterpart.
Do you handle part loads?
Yes. Below roughly six pallets, groupage onto a scheduled departure is usually cheaper than paying for a dedicated vehicle.
What causes delays at the border?
Documents that do not agree with each other, vague goods descriptions, an unregistered importer, and queueing around month-end and public holidays.
Can you move cargo through Botswana to Zambia or Namibia?
Yes, in transit under bond, with the transit properly acquitted so the bond is released and no liability is left open.