Long delays at Beitbridge and Plumtree Border posts

By Tichaona Sibanda
24 December 2009

Thousands of travellers were still facing long delays at Beitbridge border post, as immigration officials failed to cope with the huge number of people, trucks and cars.

The delays have been caused mainly by the high number of Zimbabweans, based in South Africa, travelling home for the Christmas and New Year holidays. At least 12 000 individuals and 4,000 vehicles are passing through the Beitbridge border on a daily basis.

According to our Bulawayo correspondent, Lionel Saungweme, the border requires a staff complement of at least 400 people, but only 120 officers are currently manning it. Beitbridge is the busiest inland port of entry in sub-Saharan Africa and handles a huge volume of commercial traffic destined for countries such as Zambia, Tanzania and the DRC.

Saungweme, who visited the Plumtree border post on Wednesday, told us the situation there was also chaotic. Queues were close to 2km long.

‘The problem is they give first preference to commercial transporters ahead of people. At this time of year people should be cleared first. I think government needs to speed up the one-stop border project,’ Saungweme said.

The one-stop border, such as the one that was opened at Chirundu between Zimbabwe and Zambia recently, allows faster and more efficient movement of cargo and people.

Meanwhile, a South African home affairs official, was arrested for allegedly taking a bribe from a Zimbabwean at Beit Bridge border post.

Reports from South Africa quote a senior police office, Superintendent Vish Naidoo, saying the man was arrested after a Zimbabwean laid a complaint to the police about the official soliciting a bribe from him on Wednesday night. Police recovered 2000 Rand and a fake 100 Rand note when the official was arrested.
Superintended Naidoo encouraged other people to follow in the footsteps of the man who made the report to the police, saying it was the most effective way to root out corruption.