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Victor Maphosa in recently in Nyamapanda
PLANS to upgrade and modernise Nyamapanda border post to the north east of the country are at an advanced stage and Government will rope in a South African company to do the upgrade.
Zimbabwe Revenue Authority acting station manager at the border post, Mr Matthew Mutimberi, told Mashonaland East Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Mr Tavabarira Kutamahufa, during a tour of the border post on Thursday that they were expecting work on the upgrade to start soon.
Mr Kutamahufa had visited the border post to assess the level of implementation of the expansion programme.
The meeting was attended by senior Government officials from Mashonaland East province as well as traditional leaders from Mudzi district.
Mr Mutimberi said the expansion would improve operational efficiency at the border post which links Zimbabwe to Mozambique’s Tete Province and Malawi further north.
He said: “Government has engaged a company from South Africa for the upgrade of Nyamapanda border post. They now have a draft plan on how the border will look like.
“Currently, the border is small but now we have a lot of activities, so the expansion and upgrade will impact positively in terms of efficiency. “We expect the expansion process to commence soon, maybe in the month of March we should see work starting ,” he said.
Mr Kutamahufa said the expansion of the border post would benefit the nation and also address congestion while also boosting the local economy.
“We are a Government team comprising all heads of departments both at provincial and district level for the purpose of assessing the level of implementation of the expansion of the Nyamapanda Border Post.
“We are an advance team sent to come and see, understand and assess what is taking place so that we accelerate and expedite the process as we start 2024.
“The mordenisation to a one stop border post will bring efficiency in terms of services. Expansion ordinarily brings a lot of economic benefits both to the local residents as well as the country.
“I want to believe that this is the third or fourth largest port of entry in the country, so it is the issue of volumes and congestion being addressed at these ports of entry.
“Whilst the border will be modernised, the Harare-Nyamapanda Highway will also be upgraded,” Mr Kutamahufa said.
Online Reporter