Zimpapers Logo

Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
THE Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) has deployed 40 officers from less busy stations to Beitbridge border post where the volume of both human and vehicle traffic has started increasing as Zimbabweans based in South Africa come home for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

The officers started work in Beitbridge yesterday mostly on the Compliance and Temporary Import Permits  section.

Zimra has a staff complement of 273 workers at Beitbridge and they need 400 to operate at full  strength.

In previous years, Zimra has been fingered as the main culprit in delaying the speedy flow of traffic due to shortage of staff.

An average of 15,000 travellers access the border per day and the number increases to around 20,000 during peak periods. Further a total of 21,000 buses, 14,000 to 15,000 haulage trucks and 25,000 private cars pass through the border on a monthly basis.

Zimra’s corporate communications department did not respond to The Chronicle’s enquiries yesterday.

Sources at the border post yesterday said Zimra management had also deployed more officers from less busy sections to the Compliance and TIPs section.

The Compliance section deals mainly with clearance of goods entering or leaving the country.

The TIP section is charged with processing customs documents for visitors coming into the country using foreign registered vehicles.

“We’ve received 40 relief officers from less busy stations and we believe the movement of traffic will be smooth throughout the holidays. We expected the volume of traffic to increase this weekend as many companies close shop in South Africa”, said a Zimra officer who preferred anonymity.

The assistant regional immigration officer in charge of Beitbridge border post Notius Tarisai  said on Tuesday that they had requested 12 relief officers to beef up their staff complement of 52  workers.

The Department of Immigration needs at least 80 officers to carry the load at Beitbridge border post.

Tarisai said they were clearing an average of 20,000 people on arrivals and 10,000 on departures per day.

He said they had separated traffic into buses, private motorists, tourists, returning residents and those in transit.

“Those travelling in buses and returning residents will be cleared outside the immigration hall, while those in transit and other travellers will be cleared inside the main immigration hall,” he said.

“During off peak periods these are cleared at the same point. We’ve also maintained the tagging system for buses where we clear them on the first come first serve basis.”

He said they had also agreed to harmonise operations with their South African counterparts.

“We’re working with all concerned stakeholders and we’ll review progress depending with the pressure at hand. At the moment all is in order. We’ve suspended all off and leave days and collapsed our four shifts into three so that we retain most of the work force during peak periods,” said Tarisai.