Truck drivers bear brunt of border inefficiency

News
HAULAGE truck drivers are enduring long delays at Beitbridge border post, with Zimbabwean officials being blamed for alleged malicious inefficiency.

HAULAGE truck drivers are enduring long delays at Beitbridge border post, with Zimbabwean officials being blamed for alleged malicious inefficiency.

BATANAI MUTASA OWN CORRESPONDENT

The trucks are reportedly in queues stretching from the Zimbabwean border to as far as the South African side.

“Clearance at the South African side is quick, but on the Zimbabwean side it is so slow that I have spent close to three days waiting,” said one truck driver who declined to be named.

He expressed concern that there seemed to be inadequate manpower to clear the ever increasing lines.

“We suspect that some of the holdups are manufactured to frustrate us into offering bribes as a way to facilitate our way past the post,” he added.

Truck drivers blamed delays at the border for causing some of the accidents because they increased the need to speed and meet customers’ expected delivery times.

With the advent of the festive season, entry points to the country are expected to experience increased traffic volumes and the drivers expressed fear delays would be worsened.

Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) acting director legal and corporate services, Robert Mangwiro, confirmed the situation, saying the border post experienced high levels of traffic and was one of the busiest in Africa.

“In the past two weeks there was an influx of commercial vehicles, way above the usual levels,” he said.

“This resulted in the delays referred to.

“The situation has, however, normalised.”

Mangwiro dismissed allegations that delays at the border were intentional.

He attributed the difference in processing times between South Africa and Zimbabwe to procedures of exportation and importation, saying it normally took less time to process export entries as compared to import entries.

“With respect to allocation of human resources at the border post, Zimra seconds additional staff to the border post during busy periods when the volume of traffic rises beyond the usual volumes,” he said.

“Zimra does not tolerate corruption at any level and in that regard, the public are urged to work with the authority to expose and deal with any perpetrators of corruption whether they be staff or the general public.

“The process of clearing cargo involves participation by various stakeholders, who include clearing agents and other government agencies.”