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The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) said on Monday on-going works to upgrade the Beitbridge Border post will in the next six weeks cause further congestion and clearance bottlenecks at the port.
Beitbridge, one of Africa’s busiest ports, is undergoing a US$300 million upgrade through a public-private partnership led by Zimborders Consortium.
The expansion is expected to cut clearance delays currently being experienced at the port through enhancing efficiency in systems, which is expected to reduce the cost for businesses as well as boost intra-African trade.
Zimra said the on-going “extensive construction work” had cut working and parking space as well as disrupted traffic flow into Zimbabwe.
“This reduction in capacity is anticipated to result in significant congestion and delays in the effective passage for all traffic, particularly north bound traffic,” the agency said, encouraging truckers and travellers to use alternative routes.
“This situation is projected to last for the next six weeks during which period construction work will be at its highest.”
The Upgrade of the border post entails, among other things, construction of new terminals, installation of state of the art cargo scanning equipment, purchase of technical equipment and software, establishment of a fire station, residential housing units, a wastewater treatment plant, a water pump station and other infrastructure.
Bongani Ndlovu