Beit Bridge Border Post was heavily congested between Good Friday and Easter Monday as scores of travellers, mostly Zimbabweans working in South Africa, were travelling between the two countries.

The Zimbabwean immigration recorded a sharp increase in the number of travellers who passed through Beit Bridge during the Easter holiday, compared to the same period last year. According to statistics, a total of 78 939 people were handled by border officials between Thursday and Sunday, quite a surge compared to the 55 300 of last year. The local assistant regional immigration manager in charge of Beit Bridge, Mr Charles Gwede, said the highest number of travellers was recorded on Good Friday, when 27 389 people passed through the entry port.

"During the entire Easter holiday period, the border was extremely busy and we recorded 52 112 travellers on the entry side while, on the arrival side, we handled a total of 26 827 travellers. This was largely because we had more Zimbabweans and foreigners from neighbouring SADC countries visiting their families," he said.

Gwede attributed this year’s sharp increase in the movement to the documentation exercise in South Africa, which saw many Zimbabweans acquiring long-term study and work permits. “Most of our people are no longer afraid of travelling home during holidays because of the relaxation of South African immigration laws, which have seen a large number of Zimbabweans working in that country," he added.

Gwede said despite the border's having been heavily congested during the Easter period, immigration officials efficiently managed the situation, which was also characterised by a huge volume of traffic on the entry side. "We had put mechanisms in place to deal with congestion, hence our officers were able to clear travellers without causing delays,” he said.

Gwede said on Sunday they cleared 99 buses, most which were South Africa-bound. Commercial trucks destined for East and Central African countries such as Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia also passed through the border post. On average, the border handles about 10 000 people daily on both the entry and exit side, with the number increasing to about 25 000 during peak periods.