adminSukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
THE Mphoengs Border Post in Mangwe District has been electrified following several attempts to complete the project over the years.
The border has been operating without electricity for several years which has forced border officials to clear travellers manually.
The regional immigration officer in charge of the Western region, Regies Munyaradzi, said plans were underway to introduce a computerised clearing system at the border.
“The Mphoengs Border had been finally electrified after several years and this means that we will be shifting from the manual system to the computerised system of clearing passengers,” said Munyaradzi.
“We’re in the process of acquiring computers for this new system and it’ll be coming into effect anytime soon.”
He said the electrification process meant that the border would be more efficient.
Munyaradzi said the electrification of the border would go a long way in decongesting the Plumtree Border Post which was normally swamped by travellers during festive holidays.
“Once we begin clearing people digitally then it means that travellers will be served quicker than before. We had a generator but it did not have the capacity to power the computer system therefore we were only using it for lights,” said Munyaradzi.
“We will maintain the normal working hours that stretch from 6AM to 6PM. However if the volume increases as a result of this development we will begin arrangements to extend operating hours.”
Mangwe National Assembly Member Obedingwa Mguni said they would advocate for the border to open for longer hours.
He said the border presents various economic opportunities for the district.
Mguni said the Mphoengs Border Post was strategically positioned to service travellers from most parts of Matabeleland South Province wishing to reach Botswana.
“Various stakeholders have shown an interest in developing the road which leads to the border. This will lead to an increase in the amount of traffic passing through Mangwe which will present numerous business opportunities for locals as many people will seek services from within the district,” he said.
“We want to work on the road which connects Mphoengs Border to Maphisa District and the road that connects Plumtree Town to Mphoengs Border. All these routes are shorter for people travelling to Botswana from various parts of the province.”
He said economic benefits which could be presented by the border would also spill to neighbouring districts.
Mguni said previously, travellers were forced to take the longer route to Botswana which went through the Plumtree Border Post in a bid to evade damaged roads.
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) recently availed $32,000 towards the electrifying of the border and other maintenance works that were hindering the border from being fully operational.
The western region has three borders namely Plumtree, Mphoengs and Maitengwe borders, but travellers have been preferring the Plumtree Border as the other two are under-developed.
Online Reporter