The Herald has reported that Zimbabwe and South Africa will at midnight jointly close Beitbridge Border Post to non-residents in a bid to manage and contain the coronavirus pandemic.
The publication further reports that the two countries have agreed to coordinate immigration policies on each side of the border to avoid confusion.
The development was confirmed by the assistant regional immigration officer in charge of Beitbridge in Zimbabwe, Mr Nqobile Ncube who said that the border will be closed by Thursday midnight to non-essential human traffic. Ncube added:
Only Zimbabweans travelling from South Africa and those foreigners who have valid permits to reside in the country will be allowed passage north at this border. The same applies to those leaving the country. It will be the South Africans and those who are residents of the neighbouring country who will depart.
As per the Presidential declaration, we will allow the movers of freight to access the border to ensure that all the essential commodities are moved into either country.
The border is South Africa’s gateway into the SADC region and under normal circumstances, 14 000 people, 120 buses, 500 commercial trucks and 3 000 vehicles use Beitbridge Border Post daily.
More: The Herald