Border posts

Kazungula One Stop Border Post

Q: When did Kazungula Bridge open?

It was commissioned on 10 May 2021 and opened to traffic on 11 May 2021, per Botswana Daily News.

Q: How much did Kazungula Bridge cost?

SADC gave US$259 million. Other reports gave $259.3 million and $260 million.

Last checked 24 October 2026 · 9 sources

Short answer

Kazungula is the one-stop border post between Zambia and Botswana on the Zambezi River. The Kazungula Bridge and its one-stop border facilities were commissioned on 10 May 2021 ¹. SADC put the cost at US$259 million ¹. The road and rail bridge replaced the pontoon ferry that carried trucks across the river ¹. Botswana Daily News reported that it opened to traffic on 11 May 2021 ². The route sits on the North-South Corridor ³.

Countries: Zambia and Botswana ¹
Commissioned: 10 May 2021 ¹
Cost: US$259 million per SADC ¹, $260 million per Anadolu Agency ⁴
Bridge length: 923 metres per Anadolu Agency ⁴
Replaced: Pontoon ferry for haulage trucks ¹
Status: Opened to traffic 11 May 2021 ²

Opening and status

SADC reported that Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi and Zambian President Edgar Lungu commissioned the bridge and one-stop border post on 10 May 2021 ¹. Botswana Daily News wrote that the bridge and both one-stop posts were commissioned by DRC President Felix Tshisekedi as chair of the African Union ². The two accounts differ on who performed the commissioning.

Anadolu Agency reporter James Kunda wrote that Lungu said the bridge should operate 22 hours a day as soon as possible ⁴. No official schedule of opening hours was found for this page.

Cost and funders

Published figures differ slightly. SADC gave US$259 million ¹. Anadolu Agency gave $260 million ⁴. Business Day, in a Bloomberg report, put the project at $259.3 million ⁵. The UN-OHRLLS presentation gave an estimated total cost of US$259.3 million ⁶.

SADC said the governments of Botswana and Zambia funded and led the project, with support from the African Development Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency ¹. A presentation hosted by UN-OHRLLS in May 2021 gave the shares as JICA 57.5%, African Development Fund 31.5%, Zambia 5.2%, Botswana 4.0% and an EU-ITF grant 1.8%. It said the AfDB and JICA loans were zero interest over 50 years ⁶.

Botswana Daily News reported costs in pula. The bridge cost P1.9 billion, the Botswana one-stop post P440 million and the Zambia one-stop post P182 million ².

The bridge

Engineering News reported in June 2014 that the project included the bridge, one-stop border facilities and access roads. Construction was then expected to start in July 2014 ⁷.

Item	Figure	Source
Length	923 m ⁴	Anadolu Agency, 10 May 2021 ⁴
Length	925 m ⁶	UN-OHRLLS presentation, May 2021 ⁶
Road lanes and rail	2 road lanes and 1 narrow-gauge rail track ⁶	UN-OHRLLS presentation, May 2021 ⁶
Main contractor	Daewoo ⁶	UN-OHRLLS presentation, May 2021 ⁶

Crossing rules reported after opening

Crossing the bridge on foot was banned. Taxis on each side charged P150 or the equivalent and could only drop passengers at the entrance to either post ²
From 11 to 25 May 2021 the Botswana side collected more than P998,000 in tolls from 920 trucks and 176 passenger vehicles ²
Tolls did not replace earlier charges such as Zambia's carbon tax ²
A Botswana customs official said travel time between the two countries fell from three to seven days to four hours or less ²

Corridor role

The SADC Executive Secretary said on 10 May 2021 that the project is part of the North-South Corridor and a flagship of the SADC Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan ³. SADC said the bridge is expected to link the port of Durban to the DRC and Tanzania and offer an alternative to Beitbridge ¹.

ZRA lists Kazungula as one of its busy customs stations for clearing agent licensing ⁸. Zambia's One-Stop Border Control Act allows officers of both countries to work in a shared control zone under both countries' laws ⁹.

Common questions

When did Kazungula Bridge open?

It was commissioned on 10 May 2021 ¹ and opened to traffic on 11 May 2021, per Botswana Daily News ².

How much did Kazungula Bridge cost?

SADC gave US$259 million ¹. Other reports gave $259.3 million and $260 million ^5,4.

Can I walk across Kazungula Bridge?

In June 2021 Botswana Daily News reported that crossing on foot was banned and taxis carried travellers between the posts ².

Who paid for the Kazungula project?

Botswana and Zambia, with AfDB and JICA support, according to SADC ¹.

Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@zambiatradesystems.com.

Sources

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