Rutendo Nyeve
Victoria Falls Reporter
VICE President Kembo Mohadi has reaffirmed the Government’s unwavering commitment to modernising the Victoria Falls Border Post, describing the facility as a critical gateway for regional trade that requires urgent decongestion and digital transformation.
During a tour of the border facility on Friday, VP Mohadi conducted an on-the-spot appreciation of recent systems upgrades while engaging with frontline staff to hear firsthand challenges hampering efficiency at one of the country’s busiest ports of entry.
The tour, which included a delegation of senior Government ministers, focused on assessing the operational environment following the border’s recent transition to a 24-hour facility.
While acknowledging the progress made, VP Mohadi noted that the surge in traffic, particularly from haulage trucks, has necessitated further intervention.
“This is our border with Zambia and it’s a gateway to Central Africa and East Africa.
“So, it is very important that we come and see exactly what is happening and also try to find out what challenges they are having at the border,” said VP Mohadi.
“As you rightly say that it has now been updated to a 24-hour border post and they were just telling me that sometimes there’s congestion, a lot of congestion especially from the haulage trucks.
“So, we need to spruce it up a little bit so that we can accommodate all this.”
VP Mohadi said the unique geographical location of the border, sandwiched between the Victoria Falls rainforest and the Batoka Gorge presents significant physical constraints to expansion.
However, he emphasised that technological innovation would provide the solution.
“As you see, you will agree with me behind you is the rainforest and behind me is the gorge, so the area for expansion is very limited. So we have to sit down and plan and how we can renovate so that it becomes more respectable like how we would want to see,” he said.
“It is an old border post and it has served us quite a lot.
“In fact, this bridge is one of the four or three bridges, which were built on the Albert Beit trust. So, we have come here to see how they are operating.”
To address the congestion, VP Mohadi revealed that the Government is prioritising the digitalisation of services, including the implementation of advanced online border management systems.
Key among the planned upgrades is the transformation of the truck handling facility.
“In terms of modernisation, I think we are going to also going to modernise the truck stop. It is going to be electronic and digital,” he said.
VP Mohadi said this will signal a shift towards a seamless, paperless system expected to drastically reduce turnaround times for commercial traffic.
Beyond the technological overhaul, the Vice President identified the welfare of border personnel as a paramount concern that directly impacts service delivery.
“They have told us we are going to attend to them, and I’m not going to tell you what the challenge is. But one thing that is actually important, which comes out of it is accommodation for us.
“They don’t have that big accommodation. Most of them live in rented places.
“We need as many to come out with the schemes where we are going to put up some accommodation for our offices.
“It’s paramount. We cannot expect someone to discharge the maximum when she or he conducts things to go forward. So, that is what we are going to be looking at.”
The Second Republic under President Mnangagwa has committed to ensure that Zimbabwe’s ports of entry are efficient, modern, and capable of driving the country’s vision of an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
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