Fiilipe Nyussi's visit to SA:Free entry visas for Mozambicans into S/Africa extended from 30 to 90 days as from June 2016.

THE governments of Mozambique and South Africa are working on Ressano Garcia border pass to run 24 hours a day to further facilitate the movement of people and goods in what is the main and the busiest border crossing between the two countries.

The decision was made by the Presidents of the two countries during Philip Nyusi's state to South Africa last week,at the invitation of his counterpart, Jacob Zuma.

At the first meeting of the Binational Commission realised in Pretoria,the two presdents guided their executives that as soon as they complete the paperwork,the time of validity of the entry visa exemption for citizens of both countries, in force since the 2005 agreement , pass the current 30 to 90 days.

All these measures were announced at the meeting that President Nyusi had with the Mozambican community in South Africa, the largest in the diaspora.These measures should come into force from June next year. About 400,000 Mozambicans live in the "land of the rand", of which close to 40 000 work in the mines and the remaining in other sectors, particularly agricultural production.

Speaking at the meeting, Philip Nyusi said the measures taken by the Binational Commission, a platform that opens a new cycle in cooperation with South Africa, a strategic partner, must be inserted into the commitments of the governments of both countries to precisely identify and seek solutions to problems and challenges that affect communities of the two countries and facilitate their lives and activities.

Under the Government's efforts to address the concerns of the communities in the Diaspora, since February this year were issued 33 555 travel documents and about three thousand biometric dentity cards (ID) biometric to Mozambicans in South Africa.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Oldemiro Baloi, explained at the time that it was not the South African Government nor the Mozambican gorvenment that decided to end the emergency travel documents and the old passports, but that it was an "international decision''

"Any document that is not biometric is not acceptable anywhere in the word, not in Mozambique," Balói said, urging Mozambicans to join this passport and biometric identity card ''treatment'' process that is being carried out by brigades moved to the neighboring country. The process covers the Mozambican community in the diaspora.

Unconfirmed reports indicate that from November South African authorities may stop accepting temporary passports, aka boder passes. The situation worried many Mozambicans who use this emergency document to travel to both countries. Beyond the question of documentation, Mozambicans in South Africa complain of pensions framework for miners, the unfair forex rate to which they are subject, and less professional actions of some agents of Customs and the Police in the country, especially during festive seasons.

"The police are not for bothering, they are for helping citizens," said the president, who also referred to the exchange problem considering that it is well underway at the banking level so that Mozambicans in South Africa do not suffer disappointment.