The number of Zimbabwean cross-border traders and shoppers entering the country through Beit Bridge border post has of late been on the decline, as shops in that country have reportedly started to fill up with basic commodities, a development that could impact negatively on thriving businesses in Musina.

The Zimbabwean principal immigration officer at Beit Bridge border post, Mr Dennis Chitsaka, told Mirror that they were now receiving an average of about 2 000 departures, mostly holiday makers, passing through the border post every day, a sharp decline compared to the usual 5 000.

“We recorded a decline in the number of Zimbabwean shoppers who crossed into South Africa through the Beit Bridge border post in March compared to February and this is largely because there is now an improvement in the supply of basic commodities locally,” he said.

According to immigration statistics, in March, 60 762 departures were recorded at the Beit Bridge border post, a sharp decline compared to 79 094 in February.

Cross-border traders and transport operators constitute the highest number of people who frequent the border post on a daily basis and, of late, the number of departures has been on the decrease.

Several Zimbabweans had until recently resorted to crossing the border to Musina to purchase groceries following an acute shortage of basic commodities such as foodstuffs in the local shops.

Shop owners in Musina have also noted that there was a decline in business from Zimbabweans. “Business has of late gone down since the beginning of March and we are no longer getting as many Zimbabwean customers as we used to in the past. In fact, under normal circumstances my stock, especially for items such as cooking oil, maize meal and soap, would last for only a week, but now it can last longer than that, which shows that business is now on a downward trend,” said Mr Raj Naidoo, a Musina shop owner.

Another shop owner, Mr Jacobs said: “Although I am still getting more Zimbabweans coming to my shop than South Africans, the number (of Zimbabweans) has gone down. We are told that there are delivery trucks from Johannesburg directly supplying shops in Zimbabwe, which therefore means that they (Zimbabweans) are now accessing goods in their country rather than coming here.”

However, Mirror has also established that Zimbabwean products, especially basic commodities, are also beginning to fill up that country’s supermarkets, a development that has been attributed to an increased capacity in the local industries. A snap survey by Mirror showed increased avail-ability of products such as mealie-meal, cooking oil, cordials, rice, soap, salt, sugar and flour posing a serious threat to imports.

Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries president Mr Kumbirai Katsande told this paper that some lines of credit have been made available by banks that local companies are using as working capital.

When Mirror visited Musina on Friday, the volume of Zimbabwean-registered vehicles that usually congested parking bays in front of big supermarkets such as Spar and Score had decreased, signifying a reduction in the number of shoppers from the neighbouring country.

Musina, by virtue of its geographical location as a border town, has benefited economically since the start of the Zimbabwean crisis from the huge influx of Zimbabwean shoppers who continuously streamed into the country to buy goods in short supply back home.

Mr Chitsaka, however, also said the number of arrivals continued to rise as more and more Zimbabweans, mostly those denied asylum permits, were now opting to come back home as they hope that following the formation of the all-inclusive government in that country, the economy will improve and subsequently regain its former status.

Meanwhile, the number of border jumpers deported from South Africa through Beitbridge Border Post went up from 9 679 in February to 15 693 in March, as the DHA continues to intensify the deportation process of illegal immigrants settling in the country.