Chaos at Beitbridge border post persists

via Bulawayo24 NEWS | Chaos at Beitbridge border post persists 08 July 2014 by Thupeyo Muleya

THERE is still no end in sight for the chaotic situation at Beitbridge Border Post where commercial cargo has been stuck since Friday.

Truckers and clearing agents are blaming the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) for causing delays.

In separate interviews at the border yesterday the drivers accused Zimra of introducing 100 percent searches on all commercial cargo while having inadequate staff to carry out the task.

It is understood Zimra dispatched a team from its loss control department to the country’s ports of entry following repeated reports of smuggling.

The numbers of trucks blocking both the exit and entry sides of the border kept on increasing but Zimra management at Beitbridge seems to be taking “a business as usual” approach.

Disgruntled truck drivers have blocked all the entry points on the north bound traffic (Zimbabwe) saying they would not move from the border until Zimra improved its services.

“We’re appealing to the Minister of Finance Patrick Chinamasa to intervene before the situation goes out of hand. Some of us have been here for three days and it appears the local Zimra management is not interested in attending to our grievances,” said a driver who requested anonymity for fear of victimisation.

“We’re used to taking an average of three hours to complete all the border formalities and you’ll note that we are likely to spend five days or more to do the same processes.

“As truck drivers we are not against the 100 percent searches and we have suggested to Zimra that they can do the searches inside the border post where there is enough space rather than the small container depot where trucks are taking at least two days to be cleared.”

Truckers said Zimra’s regional manager for Beitbridge Adrian Suarez had promised to address their grievances and but had since become elusive.

They said some officers at the Zimra container depot where physical searches of the trucks were being carried out had started demanding $100 bribes, which would see some drivers avoiding the rigorous searches.

Suarez was unavailable for comment and the organisation’s director for legal and corporate affairs Florence Jambwa could not respond to questions from this publication at the time of going to press last night.

The vice chairman for the Shipping and Forwarding Agents Association of Zimbabwe (SFAAZ) Beitbridge chapter, Osbert Shumba, said Zimra management at Beitbridge had promised to address the challenges by the end of day yesterday.

“Authorities at Zimra have assured us that they will address the problem by the end of the day and we are very hopeful that they will deliver,” he said.