adminSukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Plumtree Correspondent
PLUMTREE Border Post has started operating 24 hours to deal with congestion.
Regional immigration officer in charge of Western Region which comprises Plumtree, Maitengwe and Mphoengs Border, Mr Regies Munyaradzi said they introduced a 24 hour service at the Plumtree Border Post on Wednesday as traffic was expected to be at its peak today and tomorrow.
The service will be discontinued on Christmas Day.
“There has been a slight increase in the number of travellers passing through Mphoengs and Maitengwe Border Posts. Locals who are returning are relying mostly on these two entry points in order to avoid congestion. Entries through Maitengwe Border Post increased from 1 582 to 2 911.
“In the meantime we opened the 24 hour service yesterday and this service will run until Saturday,” he said.
Mr Munyaradzi said there was adequate manpower at all three entry ports.He said they had also opened extra counters where returning travellers were being cleared manually.
In April the Plumtree Border Post did not offer a 24 hour service as their Botswana counterparts refused to extend working hours.
Mr Munyaradzi said his office had engaged authorities from the neighbouring country who had agreed this time around to open 24 hours.
“We are ready to handle the expected influx of travellers. There have been complaints of long queues at the Botswana side but we have engaged our counterparts to ensure travellers are served in the shortest possible time,” he said.
The regional immigration officer said there was a 23 percent decrease in the number of travellers entering the country through the Plumtree border while the number of travellers exiting the country has increased by nine percent.
He said between December 17 and December 21 about 16 226 travellers entered the country through the border compared to last year when 21 200 were recorded over the same period.
The number of exits, he said, had increased from 12 284 last year to 13 198.
Mr Munyaradzi attributed the decline mostly to prevailing economic challenges but also said the decline could be as a result of travellers preferring to use Maitengwe and Mphoengs Border Posts which were less busy.
—@DubeMatutu.
Online Reporter