The project to build a concrete wall along 160 km of the border between the South African province of Kwazulo Natal (KZN) and Maputo province in South Africa has already begun to take shape.

In the middle of this week, the South African head of transport and human settlements, Siboniso Duma, assured that the first 25 km would be completed by the beginning of next year.

The idea is that the wall will serve to reduce all types of cross-border crime, such as human trafficking, illegal immigration, drug and vehicle smuggling between South Africa and Mozambique.

The 25 km operation to build the barrier is being implemented in three phases: an 8 km barrier from Gate 6 going west towards the Tembe Elephant Park; another 8 km from the boundary of the iSimangaliso Wetlands Park, moving west; and the last phase will have a 9 km stretch that will extend from the western boundary of the Tembe Elephant Park towards the Phongolo River.

Duma added that the project needed to include environmental conditions to reduce damage to nature and species in the area, which contains many wetlands.

More than 7.4 km of concrete barriers have been erected so far, as part of the first 8 km phase of the project, which is due to be completed in December.

Duma said that the project has already begun to yield positive results.

"We have managed to limit the export of stolen cars and other goods through KZN and into Mozambique. Last year alone, 30 stolen vehicles a month crossed into Mozambique. That number has been reduced."

He said that protecting this border, which has been identified as one of the country's "high-risk borders", was important as the uMkhanyakude district municipality to which it belongs has attracted many tourists and investments.

"There is a free trade zone in South Africa because there is serious trade going on in that area, so we identified the need to protect this area."

In this project, the Mozambican state has no financial obligation, assured the spokesman for the KZN executive, Ndabazinhle Sibiya.