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Mashudu Netsianda in Beitbridge
BEITBRIDGE Border Post was yesterday relatively less busy than the past few days, with a reduced number of travellers passing through ahead of Christmas Day today and New Year holidays.When Chronicle visited the port of entry last night, business was normal and there were no queues on Zimbabwean and South African sides.
The assistant regional immigration manager-in-charge of the border post, Charles Gwede said yesterday they recorded a drop in the number of travellers who passed through.
“We handled a reduced number of travellers compared to the last few days when we had an increased volume of traffic, particularly on the entry side when people mainly Zimbabweans working in South Africa were coming home for Christmas,” he said.
According to latest immigration statistics, the number of travellers swelled by 29 percent with 612, 773 recorded since the beginning of the festive period movement.
Last year 484, 307 travellers passed through during the same period. Beitbridge Border Post was in the run-p to Christmas very busy with immigration authorities handling more travellers on the entry side as Zimbabweans based in South Africa flocked into the country to spend Christmas holidays with their families.
A Chronicle newscrews also noted that travellers were being cleared fast and there was no congestion, a development largely attributed to a change in movement trends coupled with border authorities’ decongestion strategies.
Zimbabweans constitute the highest number of travellers using Beitbridge Border Post. It is the busiest inland port of entry in sub-Saharan Africa, handling an average of 10, 000 travellers daily. The figures double up during peak periods such the Christmas holiday.
Hundreds of travellers during the Christmas holidays last year spent several days stranded at the border because of congestion and delays by immigration officials.
The movement of travellers started from December 13 during which immigration officials have been receiving a huge influx of travellers.
Travellers who spoke to Chronicle also confirmed that they were being cleared faster compared to the previous years.
Gwede said the number of travellers had increased over the last few days as Zimbabweans and travellers in transit entered the country through Beitbridge Border Post.
He, however, said since the beginning of the peak period they did not encounter any problems. The immigration department received an additional 15 officers to beef up the local staff and help speed up the clearance process.
Border authorities on both sides have also created separate queues for commercial traffic and buses to avoid congestion. As part of their decongestion drive, the immigration authorities collapsed their shifts to maximise on manpower.
Online Reporter