Source: Activity heightens at Beitbridge as more people arrive | The Herald
Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
As expected the Christmas rush is in full swing at Beitbridge Border Post as more Zimbabweans and travellers from countries north of the Zambezi River move north from South Africa for the festive season.
Border authorities expect traffic to increase even further from Thursday to December 24.
Although the number of travellers has been increasing, the efficiency systems at the border brought about by the modernisation of the border under a US$300 million public-private partnership entered into between the Government and ZimBorders Consortium is coping well.
The border upgrade saw the creation of separate freight, bus and light vehicles terminals, which has increased the pace of clearing traffic.
Previously everyone was being cleared from one hall due to limited facilities, resulting in potential corruption and long delays for both cargo and human traffic.
Regional immigration officer in charge of Beitbridge Mr Joshua Chibundu said although the volume of traffic was high, they cannot feel the effect because of the new traffic flow systems.
“We are in control and have deployed adequately. You will note that we have processed a total of 262 114 travellers between December 1 and December 18 and among these were 114 927 arrivals and 147 187 exits,” said Mr Chibundu.
They are handling an average of 14 500 people daily.
During the month the Department of Immigration rounded up 3 100 people for violating immigration laws, including irregular migrants, conmen, wheeler-dealers and those using fake travel documents.
“The separation of the border into three terminals has helped much in the efficient and hustle-free clearance of travellers,” said Mr Chibundu.
“As immigration, we haven’t experienced long queues, a fact I attribute to the new border set up and our officers whose feet have remained on the pedal.”
Zimborders Consortium chief executive officer Mr Francois Diedrechsen said they were clearing a daily average of 1 500 light vehicles, 200 buses and 900 commercial trucks at the border.
He said they were working as a team with other border agencies to ensure a flawless flow of traffic throughout the peak period of the festive season that runs from December 10 to January next year.
“Everything at the border post is working well as planned and we have enough people on the ground to deal with the increased seasonal traffic,” said Mr Diedrechsen.
“At the same time, we want to urge travellers to abide by the relevant processes and to have their required documents ready and correct, as that makes the crossing experience quicker and pleasant for all.”
Beitbridge town clerk, Mr Loud Ramakgapola said they had deployed compliance teams to the Dulivhadzimu Bus Terminus and major highways to control the flow of traffic, and other activities that come with increased holiday travel.
A customs clearing agent, Mr Petro Hindi, said the movement of cargo and people had greatly improved at Beitbridge compared to the last five years.
“We are pushing a lot of cargo through the border and it is pleasing to note that the movement is well coordinated and no one is spending any unnecessary minute at the border,” he said.
Miss Rutendo Zhou from Mberengwa said she was impressed by the general outlook of the border.
“This is my first time to use this border post after avoiding it due to congestion in the last five years. The building and the coordination among the border agencies is impressive. I spent less than an hour to complete the border processes,” said Miss Zhou.
Another traveller, Miss Susan Sanangurai, said the new look border had become a major attraction in the Sadc region.
“There is a new way of doing business here. As you can see, many people are proud of this new infrastructure, as evidenced by the number of travellers taking photographs of themselves at the terminals,” she said.
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