Beitbridge border automated services undergo upgrade

THE Department of Immigration has started upgrading its automated services as part of plans to match improved service delivery at the modernised Beitbridge Border Post.

An estimated seven million travellers use the border annually while nearly 1 200 commercial trucks, 200 buses and 2 100 light vehicles pass through the same port daily.

The number is expected to increase fivefold with new efficiency systems kicking in.

The port of entry’s transformation came with the automation of services and separation of traffic into commercial, buses, light vehicles and pedestrian traffic.

A nexus for regional and international trade, the port of entry can now absorb increased traffic volumes with commercial cargo taking less than three hours and ordinary travellers spending less than 30 minutes to pass through the facility, provided they have all the necessary immigration and customs documents.

The Regional Immigration Officer (RIO) in charge of the southern region, which covers Beitbridge, Masvingo, Chiredzi, and Sango Border Post, Mr Joshua Chibundu, said they have completed setting up a new Online Border Management System (OBMS) at Beitbridge.

“As a department, we are embracing the ease of doing business and as such we have completed setting up the Online Border Management System (OBMS), which is now up and running,” said Mr Chibundu.

“This new system is complementary to the current automation system at the border where most services are now being digitised.

“With the OBMS, we are able to clear travellers faster at all three terminals. This includes capturing travellers’ bio-data, picking flagged travellers and auto-generating days for visitors. For example, allocating 30 days for those visitors travelling on holidays, seven days for business travel and three days for those transiting through our country.

Mr Chibundu said the new online system would come in handy as they anticipate to seamlessly clear a surge in traffic at the border during the upcoming festive season.

He said the OBMS eliminates a lot of bottlenecks that come with the use of manual systems at the port of entry.

Travellers have also been urged to comply with instructions from border officials by making use of the correct clearance channels to avoid delays or unnecessary situations that may arise through non-compliance.

“Going forward, we will soon be installing automated gates systems, commonly referred to as eGates, to allow travellers with new biometric passports to enter Zimbabwe with minimal human interaction, enhancing both convenience and security,” said Mr Chibundu.

The eGates enables travellers to scan their biometric passports and undergo automated identity verification, replacing the need for manual passport checks by border officials.

This system is expected to significantly reduce waiting times and improve the efficiency of border control procedures.

The move is part of Zimbabwe’s broader efforts to modernise its ports of entry and it also aligns with global trends toward more streamlined and secure border management through the use of advanced technologies.

The Government in partnership with the ZimBorders Consortium upgraded the Beitbridge Border Post under a private-public partnership where ZimBorders is managing and maintaining the facility pending the handover to the government at the end of the concession.

Under the current setup, border authorities are now able to clear 60 percent of commercial cargo arriving at Beitbridge in under three hours. In addition, authorities are also looking at adopting some of the AI technologies to even further enhance processes.