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Mpumalanga to Matsamo: hours, documents and the E150 road levy
Jeppe’s Reef Border Post: Mpumalanga to Matsamo, Eswatini Crossing Guide: History & Culture
Updated 13 October 2026
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Countries | South Africa (Mpumalanga) and Eswatini (Hhohho region) |
| Name on each side | Jeppe’s Reef (also spelt Jeppes Reef) on the South African side; Matsamo on the Eswatini side |
| Route | South Africa’s R570 becomes Eswatini’s MR1 at the border, towards Piggs Peak |
| Normal hours | 07:00 to 20:00. Not open 24 hours. (checked 13 October 2026, Border Management Authority table of 3 December 2023) |
| Festive-season hours | 07:00 to 22:00 from 22 December 2023 to 2 January 2024, the latest dated hours we could read. Check this year’s notice. |
| Distances by road | Piggs Peak 40 km; Malelane 46 km; Kaapmuiden 64 km; Komatipoort 75 km; Mbombela 103 km; Mbabane 104 km (OSRM route planner, 13 October 2026) |
| Kruger link | The R570 starts at Kruger National Park’s Malelane Gate and runs 41.1 km to this post (Wikipedia) |
| Road levy for a foreign-registered car entering Eswatini | E150 |
| Last checked | 13 October 2026 |
Jeppe’s Reef is the South African side of a crossing into north-western Eswatini. The Eswatini side is Matsamo. SARS lists the post as Jeppes Reef Border Post, between South Africa and Eswatini, in the Mpumalanga region (SARS border posts page, updated 20 December 2024).
On the South African side, Jeppe’s Reef is a small rural village in the Nkomazi Local Municipality, Ehlanzeni District, just over 2 km from the border, on the R570 just south of Schoemansdal. On the Eswatini side, the MR1 carries on to Piggs Peak (Wikipedia).
Wikipedia gives the village at 25°43′12″S 31°28′37″E and the crossing itself at 25°45′03″S 31°28′03″E.
Distances by road from the crossing (OSRM route planner, 13 October 2026):
Bulembu (Eswatini) and Josefdal (South Africa) are a different post. Oshoek/Ngwenya is the main Eswatini crossing and lies further west. This guide does not cover either.
| Period | Hours | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | 07:00 to 20:00 | Border Management Authority, 2023 festive season preparedness, 3 December 2023 | 13 October 2026 |
| Festive season | 07:00 to 22:00, 22 December 2023 to 2 January 2024 | Same BMA notice | 13 October 2026 |
This is the BMA’s own table, which lists Jeppes Reef under Eswatini with current hours of 07:00 to 20:00. Wikipedia gives the same hours. The SARS border posts page lists the post without hours. The BMA extended hours at Jeppes Reef again for the 2024/25 season, from 15 December to 15 January (Daily Maverick, 26 November 2024), but we did not find those hours or a notice for the 2025/26 season, so check before you travel in December. The BMA says the Minister of Home Affairs approves extended hours for peak periods at selected ports. Contact SARS on 0800 00 7277, Home Affairs on 0800 601190, or the BMA on 012 065 1147.
Since 1 June 2026, SARS requires travellers entering or leaving South Africa in a foreign-registered vehicle (Eswatini-registered cars included) to declare it on the SARS Traveller Management System. You can do this online before you reach the border, or SARS officials will help at the post. You then receive a Temporary Import Permit valid for six months (SARS, checked 13 October 2026).
No authority publishes waiting times for this post, so this guide gives none. Because the post closes at 20:00, plan to arrive well before then.
| Document | Who needs it | Checked by | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport valid for at least 3 months after arrival, with at least 2 blank pages for entry stamps (2 more if you also travel to South Africa) | Everyone entering Eswatini | Eswatini | UK government: Eswatini entry requirements, checked 13 October 2026 |
| Passport valid for at least 30 days beyond your stay, with at least one unused page | Foreign nationals entering South Africa | South Africa | BMA: Entering and Leaving SA, checked 13 October 2026 |
| Visa for Eswatini: nationalities not listed as needing a visa do not apply for one; stays beyond 30 days need a temporary residence permit | Check your nationality on the e-visa portal | Eswatini | Eswatini e-visa guidelines, checked 13 October 2026 |
| Visa for South Africa: Eswatini ordinary passport holders may enter without a visa for 30 days (list issued 9 December 2025, subject to change) | Eswatini passport holders | South Africa | Home Affairs: exempt countries, checked 13 October 2026 |
| Customs declaration form | Drivers of a vehicle not registered in Eswatini | Eswatini | UK government advice, checked 13 October 2026 |
| Original and certified copy of the registration papers in the owner’s name | Drivers | South Africa | BMA, checked 13 October 2026 |
| Letter of authority from the bank or financier, with travel dates, plus the vehicle licence papers | Financed vehicles | South Africa | BMA, checked 13 October 2026 |
| Letter of authority from the registered owner | Anyone driving a car they do not own | South Africa | BMA, checked 13 October 2026 |
| Rental agreement and the rental company’s permission to cross the border | Rental cars (SARS lists this for foreign-registered rentals entering South Africa; ask your rental company before you leave) | South Africa | SARS: foreign-registered vehicles, checked 13 October 2026 |
| Driver’s licence and proof of insurance | Drivers | South Africa | BMA, checked 13 October 2026 |
A child travelling with one parent needs a consent affidavit from the absent parent named on the birth certificate, or a court order (BMA, checked 13 October 2026).
| Fee | Amount | Side | Source and rate date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road user fee, foreign-registered light vehicle (private or commercial) | E150 (South African rand is accepted) | Eswatini | Eswatini Observer, 22 September 2025: new fees from 1 October. UK government advice gives the same E150. |
| Road user fee, foreign-registered motorcycle | From E80 | Eswatini | Same sources |
Heavier vehicles pay more (the Observer lists E350 to E450 for foreign trucks). We read these figures on 13 October 2026. Confirm the amount at the post. We found no fee for leaving South Africa.
We have no sourced information on fuel, ATMs, currency exchange or SIM sales at the post itself. Piggs Peak, 40 km away, is the nearest Eswatini town, and Malelane, 46 km away, the nearest South African town on the R570.
No. Normal hours are 07:00 to 20:00, according to the Border Management Authority’s table of 3 December 2023 (checked 13 October 2026).
Yes, in past seasons. The BMA listed 07:00 to 22:00 from 22 December 2023 to 2 January 2024. Check the current BMA notice before a December trip.
Matsamo is the Eswatini side of the Jeppe’s Reef crossing.
A passport valid for at least 3 months with 2 blank pages, your driver’s licence, proof of insurance, and the original and a certified copy of the registration papers. Eswatini also asks for a customs declaration form if the car is not registered there.
Eswatini’s e-visa guidelines say nationalities not listed as needing a visa do not apply. Check your nationality on the portal. Stays beyond 30 days need a temporary residence permit.
E150 for a foreign-registered car and from E80 for a motorcycle, under the fees reported from 1 October 2025.
For a financed car, carry the bank’s letter of authority with your travel dates. For a rental, carry the rental agreement and written permission from the rental company.
Jeppe’s Reef, along the R570 (41.1 km from the gate).
No authority publishes waiting times for this post.
Last checked 13 October 2026
Photo: IpreachLove, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Kruger National Park (Malelane Gate); Malolotja Nature Reserve; Ezulwini Valley
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