Beitbridge Border Post Ready For Easter holidays.

by Staff reporter

2012 April 02 00:35:13 | 850 Views

THE Department of Immigration says it is ready to deal with the increased volume of traffic expected at Beitbridge Border Post during the Easter holidays.

Assistant regional immigration officer- in-charge of Southern Region, Mr Charles Gwede, said they had come up with measures to ensure the smooth flow of traffic.

The department will implement the clearance system it used during the Christmas holiday last year.

The system, he said, will be constantly reviewed depending on the situation on the ground.

Mr Gwede said they had agreed in principle with their counterparts in South Africa to align the clearance of both human and vehicular traffic coming into and leaving Zimbabwe.

"We have collapsed our four shifts to three with effect from Monday and we will be alternating between three and two depending on the volume of traffic until the end of the Easter holidays.

"Furthermore, we have suspended all off and leave days. We will be receiving eight more officers from less busy stations to beef up operations at Beitbridge Border Post."

Mr Gwede said they have a staff complement of 55 and needed an additional 15 to operate at full capacity.

"Immigration officials from Zimbabwe and South Africa have agreed to implement a similar clearance programme to ensure the speedy flow of traffic," said Mr Gwede.

"The police and other stakeholders will also be engaged to assist in maintaining order and providing queue marshals at all clearing points.

"We are also deploying our security guards to all entry and exit points to ensure the safety of travellers.

"These will also help prevent the entering of the border by touts and illegal vendors who would want to capitalise on the increase in traffic during that period. The presence of touts was fuelling corruption and scaring away tourists."

Mr Gwede said traffic will be separated into pedestrians, buses, commercial, tourists and private motorists.

"Presently all these are cleared at the same counters. We have also devised a tagging system of clearing passengers in buses in their order of arrival, a system which has proved to be effective in decongesting the border post," said Mr Gwede.

On average, between 1 500 and 2 000 people are cleared per day and about 15 000 during holidays.

The Government declared Beitbridge Border Post a security zone in 2004 and the National Taskforce on Image, Communication and Tourism adopted a zero tolerance for crime.

Beitbridge Border Easter holidays.

Source: TH