admintraffic during the festive season at Beitbridge Border Post.
Over the past years operations at the country’s most busy border post during the festive season have been chaotic.
During the Christmas holidays an average of 25 000 people pass through the border per day while less than 4 000 people are attended during off peak periods daily. Zimra has been blamed for causing congestion and unnecessary delays at the border during the Christmas holidays.
In an interview yesterday, Zimra legal and corporate services director Ms Florence Jambwa said a total of 42 relief staff will be seconded to Beitbridge to help during the holidays. She said additional clearance areas will be located outside of the normal clearance halls to ease congestion.
“We have moved a gear up in terms of making the movement of both human and vehicular traffic smooth. We will deploy and extra 42 relief staff from less busy stations to Beitbridge during the festive season. So far we have already sent 24 additional members of staff to assist, ” she said.
Ms Jambwa said they needed a total of 247 technical staff (including supervisors) at Beitbridge alone but they currently had 141.
“We operate a shift system at all border posts. Our assignment of personnel and resources is based on considered positions and factors that drive or demand the utilisation of those resources,” she said.
“As is characteristic of our efforts to expedite the movement of traffic through our borders over peak periods, there will be additional receipting counters during the festive season.”
Assistant regional immigration officer in charge of Southern Region (Beitbridge), Mr Charles Gwede, said they were finalising preparations for the movement of traffic during the festive season.
Online Reporter