The South African government has removed the requirement for PCR testing for covid-19 at its borders, which the Mukhero Association saw Friday as a relief to the trade.

The organization that brings together small informal Mozambican importers said that the obligation represented an additional cost for business.

In addition to having to pay 250 rand, about 1,100 meticais, every time they wanted to enter South Africa, small importers had to stand in long queues and endure time losses, pointed out Sudekar Novela, chairman of the Mukhero Association.

Sudekar Novela said that the fact that the South African government has also announced the end of the requirement to wear the mask on public roads shows that "there is a return to a certain normalcy," showing a desire to see all restrictions placed because of covid-19 abolished.

The South African government on Tuesday announced the end of mandatory outdoor mask wearing for the first time since 2020 and abolished the requirement of a negative test for anyone entering the country vaccinated.

The measures were justified by the announcement that South Africa has entered a "new phase" of the covid-19 pandemic.