adminCONGESTION at Beitbridge Border Post, the busiest inland port of entry in Sub-Saharan Africa, has over the years been a cause for concern especially during peak periods such as public holidays.
The festive season is always a nightmare for Zimbabweans working in neighbouring South Africa commonly known as injiva when they visit their families after toiling for a living across the border.
It is also a nightmare for motorists as there would be huge volumes of vehicular traffic.
During the festive season, which will be upon us in two months time, criminals also take advantage of the confusion at the border post to steal from the innocent and unsuspecting travellers and businesspeople while masquerad-ing as immigration and Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) officials.
However, it seems the authorities have finally taken a step towards addressing the issue of congestion at the Beitbridge Border Post, which would bring relief to the ordinary travellers and businesspeople.
In our yesterday’s edition we carried a story that Zimbabwe and South Africa are on the verge of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a one-stop post at Beitbridge, a move set to ease congestion at the border post.
Under the one-stop border concept, travellers will be cleared just once for passage into another country unlike the set-up in which they have to undergo formalities on both sides of the border.
Speaking during a stakeholders meeting on the implementation of the one-stop border post in Beitbridge on Thursday, the Minister of Transport, Communi-cations and Infrastructural Development, Nicholas Goche said the governments of Zimbabwe and South Africa are committed to addressing the issue of congestion at Beitbridge Border Post hence the need to set up a one-stop border post between the two neighbouring countries.
Minister Goche said the two governments have agreed to expedite the implementation of the one-stop border post concept under the Sadc initiated Beitbridge Border Efficiency Management Systems.
This is good news to the people and economies of the two countries because we are told that the one-stop border post, which already is being implemented at Chirundu between Zimbabwe and Zambia, would reduce trade-restricting transaction costs that are estimated to be $35 million per year.
The congestion is also said to be costing $200 million a year in lost production, tourism traffic and revenue.
We take this opportunity to urge the governments of the two countries to move with speed in implementing the one-stop border post concept so as to improve the economies of the two neighbours.
The issue should be taken with the attention it deserves especially for Zimbabwe whose revenue base is small as we are told that Beitbridge Border Post contributes 70 percent of all customs duty collected in the country and 30 percent of the country’s source revenue comes from customs duty.
We have confidence in the two governments that they will speed up the process because the Beitbridge Border Post means life and death for some as there is a lot of trading between the two countries, which share a rich history and cultural background.
Our people should not have headaches travelling across to South Africa and the same should apply to South Africans.
The issue of the border should not give us hassles as we are one people.
Online Reporter