"Congestion At Beitbridge Border Will Soon Be History"
Traffic congestion at Beitbridge Border Post, which is common during the Christmas and New Year holidays, will soon be a thing of the past, a senior immigration official has said.
The Beitbridge Border Post is currently being modernised at a cost of US$300 million, with key infrastructure due for completion by November 2022.
Speaking in an interview with The Sunday Mail’s Tanyaradzwa Rusike, Chief Immigration Officer, Respect Gono, said the renovations will ease congestion at the border and speed up the roll-out of the one-stop border post concept between Zimbabwe and South Africa. She said:
Renovation of the border post itself should be complete by November 20, 2022.
In other words, phase three, which includes the passenger terminal, will be completed by the end of this month, meaning the border will be available for full utilisation by travellers for this festive season.
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However, the whole project should be completed by the end of May 2023. This includes accommodation for staff and other aspects.
Once the renovation programme is completed, we indeed expect congestion to be a thing of the past, because the border upgrades ensure separation of traffic, which results in the fast and efficient movement of people and goods.
Travellers will be pleased to know that things are continuing to get better at the border.
In that regard, we expect that the situation will further improve on completion of the pedestrian and light vehicles terminal by the end of November 2022.
Proper signage has assisted in the smooth flow of persons and processes.
An automated traffic control system, which is now in place, also ensures efficiency and orderliness.
Gono revealed that from January to September 2022, they had 2 012 559 entries and 1 463 321 exits, giving a total of 3 475 880 who passed through the border this year.
She said that at peak, such as the forthcoming festive season, they are expecting to handle between 30 000 to 35 000 per day.
Gono expressed confidence that border authorities will be able to handle the huge numbers without congestion.
