Source: DIGITALISED BORDER SYSTEMS PAY OFF . . . 1 million travellers pass through in festive rush – herald
Trust Freddy-Herald Correspondent
The US$300 million upgrading of the Beitbridge Border Post under the leadership of President Mnangagwa continues to enhance the smooth flow of people in and out of the country through the use of automated gates, which aided the Department of Immigration in the processing of nearly one million travellers during the December 2025 festive peak.
The department reported that the digital systems took centre stage at major ports, successfully clearing passengers in under 60 seconds, a decisive shift away from manual processing, as the agency moves to digitise border security and eliminate traditional holiday bottlenecks.
Official data released for the period under review shows a total of 989 080 movements, comprising 565 972 entries and 423 108 exits.
While overall traveller volume saw a 5 percent decline compared to the 1 041 403 movements in December 2024, the Department reported that aggregate annual movement for 2025 remained 1 percent higher than the previous year.
Despite the influx of holiday traffic, the department maintained a rigorous security filter, barring entry to just 86 individuals for various non-compliance issues. The 2025 festive rush served as a major deployment milestone for the Online Border Management System (OBMS).
Chief immigration officer Ms Respect Gono told The Herald that the introduction of biometric e-gates has reduced clearance times for Zimbabwean e-passport holders to less than 60 seconds.
“The unveiling of e-gates under the Online Border Management System has necessitated the use of e-passports, which are a perfect complement to the functionality of the system,” she said.
“The e-passport provides the secure and machine-readable credential for optimum utilisation of the Online Border Management System (OBMS) and is a requisite component for technologies such as the e-gates, which rely on biometric data.
“All Zimbabwean e-passport holders are eligible to utilise the e-gates. It takes less than a minute to clear a traveller via an e-gate. E-gates have revolutionised traveller clearances in a significant way. Processes are faster, convenient and highly secure as clearance rides on biometric credentials which cannot be tampered with.”
The digital suite now includes e-visas, e-permits, and e-gates, aligning with the Government’s e-governance agenda under National Development Strategies 1 and 2.
Beitbridge Border Post maintained its status as the nation’s busiest gateway, handling thousands of travellers—nearly 45 percent of total national traffic.
“Beitbridge Border Post was the busiest port during December 2025 with aggregate movement reaching 438 661 travellers, 264 230 being entries and 174 431 exits,” she said.
“The second busiest port was Plumtree Border Post, with traveller movement amounting to 107 882, of which 65 051 were entries and 42 841 exits.
“Other ports such as Forbes recorded 48 191 entries and 48 073 exits, Chirundu- 6 324 entries and 5 284 exits, Victoria Falls Airport — 13 520 entries and 12 041exits, Victoria Falls Border — 26 930 entries and 25 714 exits whilst Robert Gabriel Mugabe recorded 46 826 entries and 39 443 exits.”
However, she cautioned against abusing Zimbabwe’s openness, stating that over 80 people had been turned away for failing to provide correct documentation.
“A total of 86 inadmissible persons were refused entry into Zimbabwe in December 2025. Entry was denied for various reasons, for example, some were not in possession of the requisite travel documents, some were unclear of their destination or address and some were prohibited due to previous offences,” she said.
“Zimbabwe’s openness agenda should never be abused, hence the Immigration has the role to ensure that necessary screening is enforced at all our ports.
“The sense of security remains fundamental, hence the use of such technologies as the biometric verification and also the collaborations with Interpol and other security agencies in guarding our sovereignty.”
While there was a slight decline during the period under review, Ms Gono said Zimbabwe remains a top tourism destination.
“There was a slight decline by 5 percent in traveller movement in comparison to the same period in 2024, however the aggregate annual traveller movement in 2025 is 1 percent higher than in 2024.
“Movement has become much steadier as there were no significant fluctuations from the previous year’s experience. Zimbabwe remains one of the coveted destinations for investment and tourism. “The broader economic aspirations as enshrined in the National Development Strategies 1 and 2 have propelled the nation’s fortunes through the creation of a conducive business environment.”
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