Slow start to business as Ramokgwebana border reopens
FRANCISTOWN: Government’s decision to reopen land borders on December 1, 2020 had sparked high hopes amongst members of the business community here that the poor trading conditions seen this year that were a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19), would improve.
The virus outbreak, which led to closure of land borders to contain the disease, disrupting economic activity along Haskins Street, which bears the moniker Bulawayo Street, named after the high level of cross-border trading activity taking place there.
Before the pandemic, Bulawayo Street was one of the busiest streets in Francistown as it received hundreds of Zimbabweans on a daily basis, who cross the border to buy goods for resale from their neighbour.
Zimbabweans flock the city to buy clothing and electrical appliances in bulk to resell across the border, hence playing a major role in boosting the economy of Francistown.
Both formal and informal businesses along Bulawayo Street were primed with hope that this week’s reopening of the land borders would see a rush of traders and a return to good business volumes.
However, the numbers are yet to pick up.
Bonno Butale, an immigration officer at Ramokgwebana border told Mmegi that just 151 people used the crossing on Tuesday, the day the passage was reopened since its closure in March.
“For arrivals, we registered 55 men, 25 women and three children and we also recorded 53 men and 15 women who departed to Zimbabwe on the
same day.” On Wednesday as at 10am, Butale said the border registered 20 arrivals and 21 departures.
The low numbers are clearly echoed in the streets of Francistown, especially Bulawayo Street.
It seemed too early for any influx of cross-border shoppers as volumes were very low, with only two customers spotted in the Chinese shops.
A few Chinese shop assistants, who spoke to Mmegi on condition of anonymity, said the day was just the same as any other since the borders were closed after the COVID-19 outbreak.
The worried shop assistants noted that they received just ordinary customers with just a few Zimbabwean shoppers spotted in the shops.
Moreover, they said that even the transporters who often make ends meet by transporting Zimbabweans to the border, arrived early in the morning with the expectation of getting more customers, but returned home emptyhanded. The shop assistants expressed hope that the situation would improve next week as they suspected that the Zimbabwean nationals were still following the set travel COVID-19 health protocols. On the street, vendors and hawkers could be heard having discussions on the border issue, as they were disappointed after receiving fewer clients than they had expected.