South Africa's Border Management Authority (BMA) temporarily closed the Lebombo post on Tuesday (05) following violent protests in Mozambique, which affected the town of Ressano Garcia, reports News24.

The Lebombo-Ressano Garcia border is the most important between South Africa and Mozambique. It is Mozambique's largest land border, allowing the state to collect at least 23 million dollars a day, according to figures from the Tax Authority, quoted by the press.

Michael Masiapato, commissioner of the BMA, told News24 that the decision to close the border was the result of violence in the town of Ressano Garcia, in Maputo province.

"Some buildings have been set on fire. The border will be closed to ensure the safety of travelers," Masiapato told News24 on Tuesday night.

He said that his institution is monitoring the situation, in coordination with the Mozambican authorities, to determine whether to reopen the border as soon as it is safe to do so.

In the meantime, he warns against using alternative routes.

According to a VOA report, since the demonstrations began at the end of October, the border has functioned poorly.

This led the Tax Authority to claim that it lost at least 70 million dollars in the first three days of the demonstrations due to the disruption of the migratory movement.

The demonstrations were called by presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who is claiming victory in the October 9 elections.

The official results give victory to the Frelimo candidate, Daniel Chapo, with 70,67% of votes, with Mondlane in second place with 20,32%.