Activity has heightened at border posts, with Beitbridge
handling over 500 000 entries and exits since the beginning of this month,
while Plumtree has had to temporarily adopt a 24-hour shift.
A total of 503 932 travellers have used Beitbridge Border
Post to access either Zimbabwe or South
Africa since the beginning of December, with 65 000 vehicles passing through
the border post which is open 24 hours a day.
According to border authorities, an average of 4 000 light
cars and 25 000 travellers are cleared at the border post daily.
Officials from Zimbabwe and South Africa said though the
movement of people was increasing daily, especially in the evenings, the
situation was under control.
They said during off-peak periods they clear 2 000 light
vehicles and 13 000 travellers daily, inclusive of arrivals and exits.
Assistant Regional Immigration Officer (ARIO) in charge of
Beitbridge Mr Nqobile Ncube said they had harmonised the border efficiency
operational programme with South Africa. This involves the separation of
traffic into pedestrians, light vehicles, tourists, commercial and buses.
A traveller, Mr Thabani Ndlovu said he was pleased with the
state of affairs at the border as they were spending a few minutes to complete
immigration formalities on the Zimbabwean side.
A cross-border buses coordinator in Beitbridge Mr Joshua
Musimbe said though the situation had relatively improved on the Zimbabwean
side of the border they were still having challenges on the South African side
where buses were queuing for clearance with commercial trucks.
He said on average the buses were being delayed by two or
three hours.
“Prior to the festive season, we were told that the buses
will be separated to their own lane rather than mixing them with cargo. The
last three days were hectic,” said Mr Musimbe.
Mr Ncube said all off and leave days for border workers had
been cancelled to boost staffing levels and most departments had received more
staff from less busy stations to ensure a speedy flow of traffic at the border.
“We are building from the success of the last festive
season and reviewing progress daily. Though the movement level is quite high,
it’s being managed. In addition to other measures, we have opened more service
points outside the main immigration hall to expedite clearance.
“We are in constant touch with our South African
counterparts to ensure that we apply similar operational procedures and address
challenges on the dot,” he said.
He said it was important for people to travel with relevant
and adequate documents to minimise delays at the border post.
South Africa has deployed 400 more immigration workers to
busy border posts including Beitbridge to beef up its strength.
South Africa’s deputy Home Affairs Minister Mr Njabulo
Nzuza visited Beitbridge yesterday to asses operations and make corrective
measures to create a free flow of both vehicular and human traffic.
Plumtree Border Post started operating round the clock on
Friday to accommodate travellers during the festive season as the volumes have
increased by 42 percent since Monday.
Normally, the border post closes at 10pm daily.
Assistant Regional Immigration Officer Mr Terence Njagu
said in anticipation of increased traffic volumes, the border will operate for
24 hours a day .
“Generally, from the beginning of the month, traffic has
been low. However, as soon as schools closed, traffic increased and has been increasing
each and every day. There has been a 42 percent increase from the normal
traffic that we were handling a week before,” said Mr Njagu.
“Most of the people passing through the border post work in
industries, some in farms. With most of these employees closing (for the
holiday) today, and others closing yesterday, we anticipate increased flows of
traffic. On average, we have 1 500 exits and 1 400 entries daily. Now we are
clearing up to between 2 900 and 3 600 a day.”
He said two weeks ago, weekly traffic flows stood at 28 000
at Mpoengs and Mulambaphele, the entry points that fall under Plumtree Border
Post, but last week the figures jumped to 41 148.
Mr Njagu said the Immigration Department had beefed up
staff and suspended holidays to efficiently deal with increased volumes and
promptly serve travellers.
“We have instituted a 24-hour shift from today until the
24th of December. Basically, we open the border at 6am, it will be opened
continuously up to Christmas Day at 10pm. So, from today until Christmas Day
there will be continuous clearance of people. This is meant to create time for
our travelling public. At any given time if they want to pass through the
border during that time, they will be served. It eases pressure, it eases
congestion and we ensure that everyone who is coming to Zimbabwe is served
quickly and they enjoy their holidays,” said Mr Njagu.
He said the traveling public should not expect hurdles from
departments working from the border as they were working as a team to facilitate
their smooth traveling.
“We are working with the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra)
and the rest of the border team and we are working on modalities to ensure
smooth, efficient and quick service for the entire border processes and we are
working as a team. Everyone is working flat out for the best interests of our
travelling public. We are in liaison with all the stakeholders, including
Zimra,” he said.
Chirundu and Kariba border posts are a hive of activity
with congestion being the order of the day particularly for north-bound
traffic.
Chirundu has seen a surge in traffic with vehicles queues
of up to 12km from the border post in a development largely attributed to large
volumes of imports into Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
An agent at the border post said the pace at which people
were being cleared was slow before calling for more staff.
“The people who are there are trying their best but the
volume of human and vehicular traffic is just too much for them to cope with.
There was need for more people to handle the sudden increase in volumes,” said
the agent.
Most truck drivers are trying to make it across the border
in time for Christmas Day. “We have been here since yesterday and we are hoping
that we are cleared to cross into Zambia by the end of the day so that we can
be with our families while others are hoping to offload and be with their
families in South Africa and Zimbabwe,” said Mr James Kitenda of the DRC.
At Kariba Border Post, traffic volumes are higher than usual
putting pressure on staff used to the occasional surge in tourist traffic.
Forbes Border Post in Mutare has been busy throughout the
weekend with long queues being witnessed both in Zimbabwe and Machipanda in
Mozambique. Most people took advantage of the long weekend to travel to Manica
or Chimoio in Mozambique to buy groceries especially rice and cooking oil which
are usually cheaper there.
An immigration employee, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, said: “We have been busy since last week. I have just finished my
shift, but there were long queues on both sides of the border. Some people are
also returning home from Mozambique where they work. Unlike in previous years,
it seems most people are crossing into Mozambique to buy groceries.”
Operating times have not been changed at the border, which
opens at 6am and closes at 8pm. Herald
0 comments:
Post a Comment