Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
Hundreds of travellers from Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia travelling by road via the Beitbridge Port of Entry (PoE) are experiencing long delays to cross into South Africa where authorities in the country are struggling to process a surge in traffic due to limited space and lean manpower.
Stagnant queues of vehicles and buses are now lining up along major roads in Beitbridge town with the majority having completed border clearance processes with Zimbabwean authorities.
Zimbabwe now boasts of a transformed border with three permanent terminals and bigger parking space for commercial traffic, buses, pedestrians and light vehicles.
However, South Africa is using the old main immigration and customs hall and the commercial side to clear passengers and it can no longer hold the expanded numbers in travellers and vehicles that came with the growth in regional and international trade.
Cross border traders arriving from South Africa have said the South Africans are only using five officers to clear arrivals and five to clear departure.
A border official from Zimbabwe said they have engaged the South Africans over the long delays and are hoping things will improve soon.
“Most travellers have crossed and even some bus passengers have crossed and they are waiting for South Africa to create space on their side,” said the official.
The Assistant Regional Immigration (ARIO) officer -in-charge of Beitbridge (Zimbabwe) Mrs Canisia Magaya said they had cleared the bulk of travellers between Saturday evening and Sunday morning.
“We have noted a surge in traffic and yesterday alone we processed a total of 22 379 travellers which include 5387 entries and 16 992 exits,” she said.
“We are using the online border clearance system and eGates which are up and running and all our service points are adequately manned.
“As Zimbabwean border authorities we are giving priority clearance to the elderly, pregnant women and those travelling with young children (babies). The queues we are having are largely at the bus terminal where buses are arriving at the same time”.
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