adminThupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
THE volume of travellers who used Beitbridge border post between December 1 to 27 this year has increased by 24 percent compared to the same period last year.
Statistics from the Department of Immigration show that a total of 780 934 people went through Beitbridge while 595 796 were recorded last year.
The figures include both arrivals and departures.
The assistant regional immigration officer in charge of Beitbridge, Mr Notius Tarisai, said though the number of people using the border was increasing, they could not feel the pressure because they were fully prepared.
“We have recorded an increase of 185 000 travellers between December 1 and 27 this year compared to the same period in 2015.
“We attribute this development to the confidence travellers are having with the level of efficiency and organisation among border authorities.
Furthermore you will note that many travellers are now documented as the turnaround time at the passport office has greatly improved,” he said.
Mr Tarisai added that they were still having high numbers of people on both arrivals and departures.
“We have enough human resources in most departments here including the police and customs officers among others”.
He said they had cleared a total of 503 333 on arrivals this year compared to 322 743 entries during the same period last year.
He added that during the same period 277 601 people left the country via Beitbridge Border Post, which was an increase from the 273 033 in 2015.
“We have come up with a host of measures to clear traffic during the rest of the festive season and also harmonised operations with our South African counterparts. This has proved to be effective.
“We have separated traffic into pedestrians, buses, visitors and truckers and opened up more service points within the border to decongest the main immigration hall,” said Mr Tarisai.
He said they were also working with other stakeholders including the police to ensure that they prevent irregular migration (border jumping) of both adults and children into South Africa.
Mr Tarisai said those found transporting illegal immigrants risked jail and having their vehicles forfeited to the state.
“It is very important for those who wish to travel out of the country to apply for passports rather than risk their lives and those of their children by travelling through unorthodox means,” he said.
An ordinary passport costs $53 (R530) and illegally transporting someone between Zimbabwe and South Africa costs between R2 000 and R3 000.
derick.khumalo