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jostled to catch a glimpse of a woman giving birth.

The woman had been in the queue waiting to be cleared when she went into labour.

The incident also drew the attention of clearing agents, immigration and Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) officers.

Some travellers abandoned their places in the queue to have a closer look at the woman as she gave birth.

According to witnesses, the incident occurred at around 11am near the immigration hall.

“I was busy completing Zimra declaration forms inside the customs hall when all of a sudden people started shouting. When I went outside, scores of people had gathered around a woman who was giving birth,” said Mr Tinashe Nhamo Moyo, a local cross-border trader.

However, as the commotion ensued, some elderly women quickly formed a circle around the woman to prevent men  from seeing what was happening.

The woman reportedly delivered after about 15 minutes following assistance from an elderly woman.

The woman was coming from a shopping trip in South Africa. When a Chronicle news crew arrived at the scene, about 30 minutes later, the woman had already been taken to Beitbridge District Hospital.

Chronicle visited the woman at the hospital’s maternity ward and found her cuddling her bouncing baby boy. The woman, who, however, declined to reveal her name, said she started developing labour pains soon after arriving at the border post.

“I was assisted by another woman who was also in the queue and soon after giving birth that is when an ambulance came and took me to the hospital,” she said.

The woman was queuing outside the immigration hall to complete the formalities. The woman, who initially was not willing to talk to this reporter, appeared shy throughout the interview.
She stays in Dulibadzimu in the border town.