The International Cross-Border Traders’ Association (ICTA) has blamed the Zimbabwean government for the chaos at the Beitbridge Border Post.
ICTA president Denis Juru said Zimbabwe’s failure to completely reopen the country’s borders to allow its citizens to return during the festive season and for those who wanted to “escape” from South Africa has resulted in the current crisis. Said Juru:
I would like to condemn this Zimbabwean government because when the SA government announced that they are going to open their borders, they were citing the festive season.
The Zimbabwe government failed to open the border entirely and all the people who have been locked in SA have been waiting for the borders to be reopened and this is not about travelling or holidays only, but it is also about people escaping SA.
They have been locked in SA without money, work or food. This is the situation we have because Zimbabwe failed to open their borders.
Hundreds of trucks, buses, taxis and small vehicles remain queued at the Beitbridge border post between South Africa and Zimbabwe this Christmas Day, attempting to get to the port of entry which has been congested for several days.
The queue has stretched as long as 14 kilometres from Beitbridge to Musina, a town in South Africa.