Officials of the Zimbabwe’s Department of Immigration at the Beit Bridge border post have put in place mechanisms aimed at dealing with the congestion at the border post. This is necessary because an increase in the volume of traffic during the festive period is anticipated.

The local regional immigration manager in charge of the Beit Bridge border post, Mr Charles Gwede, said they have held a series of meetings with key stakeholders and their South African counterparts on issues revolving around addressing congestion at the border. Gwede said that they have suspended all leave and off-days for their staff between 15 December and 16 January next year.

“As part of our decongestion drive we will scramble our shifts to maximize manpower during the normal and extra peak days. Gwede said they are expecting 20 officers from other stations to beef up the local staff complement and ensure that all check points and counters are adequately manned. Beit Bridge Border Post has a staff complement of 47 officers and support staff.

Gwede added that they will categorise travellers and create more counters as a way of reducing queues. Since last Monday they have experienced a sharp increase in the number of travellers passing through the border. The border handled 73 825 travellers between Monday and Wednesday last week on both arrival and departures sides.

“We want to make sure that people do not spend more than 30 minutes in the queues and those travelling in buses will be cleared according to the vehicle register to avoid unnecessary congestion,” Gwede said. He urged stakeholders to support their efforts to ensure a smooth passage of travellers during the festive period.

Meanwhile, local police spokesperson, Chief Supt Lawrence Chinhengo said they have deployed more officers at the border to enhance security during the festive period. “We have put mechanisms in place to fight crime and more officers have been deployed at the border post and other areas since our major aim this festive season is to ensure that our travellers are safe,” he said.

Chinhengo said they had also tightened security at the border to deter touts and bogus clearing agents from accessing the border area. Touts and bogus clearing agents continue to find their way into the customs yard where they would swindle unsuspecting travellers of their money under the guise of offering assistance.