The delays being experienced by travellers at the Beitbridge border post are an inexcusable dereliction of duty by authorities, who should have learnt lessons from previous holiday seasons where chaos reigned supreme.
From last week, travellers from South Africa to Zimbabwe described scenes of despair and desperation at the busiest port of entry in the region as thousands queued for hours to enter the country.
As the week began, the South African media reported about long-queues of heavy duty trucks that had formed at the Beitbridge border post, with some drivers saying they had delayed by more than a day.
Authorities were said to be prioritising buses and smaller vehicles, leaving trucks waiting for extended periods.
On the Zimbabwean side, motorists were said to be spending up to more than nine hours in queues to obtain temporary import permits (TIP) for their foreign-registered cars.
Some drivers were frustrated by the fact that the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) was not accepting payment online for TIPs. Such a situation cannot be allowed in this age of information communication technology.
Motorists should have access to a pre-clearance system to help manage traffic at the border during busy periods like this.
Thousands of Zimbabweans will be returning home for Christmas and New Year’s holidays through Beitbridge and past experience has shown the numbers swell significantly as we move towards the dates.
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During the festive season last year, South Africa’s Border Management Authority said it facilitated movement of 645 590 people at Beitbridge – both outbound and inbound.
Zimbabwe’s immigration authorities say they are currently handling an average 13,000 travellers daily, which should peak in the final days leading up to Christmas.
There is need to prepare adequately for the increasing numbers in order to process travellers more efficiently and in time for people to go and enjoy the holidays with their loved ones.
We also expect Zimra and other port authorities to be better prepared for the same people when they travel back to South Africa in the new year.
Zimbabwe has invested heavily in the upgrading of the Beitbridge border post and that must show with improved efficiency in the processing of travellers and cargo.
The delays do not only disrupt people’s travel plans, but also come at a cost to the economy as freight is stuck at the border for a number of productive days. It is unacceptable that travellers from South Africa keep facing the same problems every holiday season.
