South Africa’s 3500km long and convoluted border line, which straddles the Indian Ocean from Kosi Bay on the East coast to Alexander Bay on South Africa’s cold Atlantic West coast, wanders diverse landscapes, cuts through socially complex and disparate communities, and demarcates where the developed super power economy of South Africa ends and the ‘rest of Africa’ begins.

It could be construed in some ways as the gateway to Africa.  Beit bridge the border crossing over the Limpopo river, between South Africa and Zimbabwe is the busiest land border on the continent.