Nightmares turn into blissful selfie moments at Beitbridge
IN the last decade crossing the Beitbridge Border post into South Africa or Zimbabwe had become a nightmare with travellers spending 24 hours to complete the port formalities.
This was a result of a number of issues including the shortage of manpower, office space, parking space and some unruly elements had taken rent seeking activities a gear up.
Zimbabwe and South Africa currently share one land border post which is also the nucleus of regional and international trade.
Beitbridge is also the route that those in Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, DRC, Mozambique and Tanzania would use to move goods to South African ports.
An estimated seven million people cross through the same port of entry annually.
Two major hotels had to close shop in the last five years due to the bad state of affairs at the border.
However, since the coming in of the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa infrastructure development projects, some of which are being made possible with aid of a robust private-public partnership model, have ushered in a new era at Beitbridge.
Under a 17-and-half-year private public partnership, the Government and the Zimborders Consortium invested US$300 million on the transformation of the border into a modern port of entry.
The facility, which is automated and uses biometrics to prevent undesirable characters from entering the border, now has three permanent terminals catering for cargo, buses, pedestrians and light vehicles.
These are getting customised services which has reduced the turnaround time for trucks from 72 hours to three hours, while the rest of the travellers are spending under 30 minutes to cross provided they have the requisite border clearance documents.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona said recently that the Government has adopted an accelerated drive for infrastructural development as part of President Mnangagwa’s vision of creating an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
“The lack of appropriate infrastructure and non-automation at the country’s and Sadc’s busiest border (Beitbridge) had in previous years created a bottleneck to the efficient movement of cargo and people” said the minister.
“This created security challenges, congestion and delays. In order to address some of the challenges here, the Second Republic undertook a project to upgrade and modernise Beitbridge Border Post through a private-public partnership with the Zimborders Consortium.”
The main scope of the development included the upgrading of the border post with new terminal buildings and commercial facilities for the border post plant.
Other facilities were: animal quarantine facility, the construction of 220 staff houses for border agencies, an 11,4 mega-litre reservoir, a new fire station, a new sewer oxidation dam and an animal plant and quarantine centre.
Since the completion of the border project in June last year, travellers taking pictures of themselves and at times with border officials have become common.
“The ambiance is good and there is even a message welcoming and another bidding visitors farewell. This is wonderful, the environment has greatly improved,” said a regular traveller Mr Clement Maseko.
“In the last three years, the efficiency systems have been improving because each category of traffic is being handled at a separate terminal with more work stations.
You can see for yourself, many people are taking selfies to show the level of excitement and how they are proud to be Zimbabwean.”
He said the travellers were happy with the new work culture among border agencies, which used to be foreign to them. “We are being processed by very friendly officers and every agent here is willing to make things work,” added Mr Maseko.
Another traveller, Miss Milly Sibanda, said she was pleased to see that the border had been improved to accommodate nursing mothers, who have separate rooms at each terminal for such a need.
She said the facility was even welcoming to those living with disabilities.
The separation of traffic, she said, was a game changer considering that previously everyone would be processed in one administration block with limited work stations.
“This new border makes us feel proud as Zimbabweans. Everything has changed from the buildings to service delivery, the processes are clear and less time consuming,” said Miss Sibanda.
The officer in charge (Beitbridge) immigration under which falls under the Southern Region, Mrs Canisia Magaya said the modernisation of the border post had resulted in a major transformation of traffic management and service delivery.
“It’s a good gesture for us to see travellers smiling and even requesting photos with some border agencies,” she added.
The official said more travellers were now using the port of entry and that in December last year a total of 525 289 travellers used the Beitbridge border post compared to 478 306 who passed through the same port in 2022.
“So far, we have done well improving services but our aim is to improve that by the second quarter of 2024, we want to ensure that 80 percent of trucks arriving here are cleared within three hours,” said Zimborders General Manager Mr Nqobile Ncube during a tour of the facility in December with Tourism and Hospitality Minister Cde Barbra Rwodzi.
The minister said the new feeling that the returning Zimbabweans from the diaspora have about the new post was an indication of the success stories of the Second Republic led by the President over the past 6 years.
Minister Rwodzi said the latest developments were also an indication that the people of Zimbabwe in the diaspora are appreciating the significant improvement in our country in terms of development, and the enabling environment in the country.
“What we saw on the ground is amazing. The Zimbabweans and other travellers could not believe that the delays of their transition from South Africa to Zimbabwe during the festive season were at the SA side of the border, yet the opposite was the modus operandi for many, many years,” she said.
“They were very proud of this development and many are contemplating on coming back home forever and be a part of building the country together with others.
Let’s continue working hard towards building our country and our communities together, we encourage the diaspora community to invest in the tourism sector, we are here for them anytime