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Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
A bid to block commercial traffic to enter or leave Zimbabwe via Beitbridge Border Post failed dismally on Monday after the organisers of the planned demonstration developed cold feet.

There was a hype in South Africa in the last two weeks with several pressure groups claiming to be representing Zimbabweans threatening to bring business to a standstill.

It is understood that the said demonstration was plan B for those who failed to organise a similar project last month.

Sources in South Africa said yesterday that the streets were very clean with authorities there enforcing lockdown protocols.

In addition, they said nobody showed up at selected pick-up points in Johannesburg where people were supposed to be bused on Sunday evening to Beitbridge.

“We went about business at the border without any crowd trouble. It’s business as usual and the police are busy on the ground enforcing level 2 lockdown regulations,” said a border official.

On the Zimbabwean border it was also business as usual with no untoward incidents recorded.

Another border official said commercial trucks were moving into either side of the border without hustle.

Police spokesperson for Limpopo Province in South Africa, Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo was not available for comment yesterday.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said they had not recorded any untoward incidents at Beitbridge Border Post.

“Zimbabwe and the border remained peaceful throughout the day. We encourage people to live by the laws and peacefully,” he said

Zimbabwe is one of South Africa’s largest trading partners in Sadc with the country importing goods worth millions of rands from the neighbouring country annually.

Additionally, according to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra), the border post contributes in excess of 31% of the total customs revenues — collecting in excess of $150 million per week.

It is also reported that revenues generated through Beitbridge have been growing steadily beginning in May 2020 — after having dropped in late March to end of April — due to lockdown in South Africa.

An average of 1000 commercial trucks use the two countries’ only land border (Beitbridge) daily and the organisers of the demo had planned to block cargo movement.

Last year another attempt to close the Zimbabwe and South Africa’s border by the Confederation of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) hit a brick wall after their request to protest inside the border area was turned down by security authorities from both countries.

The group had planned to protest and bring business to a halt at Sadc’s busiest inland port of entry.

The demo was meant to be held under the theme; “Stop abduction, detention and harassment of political activists”.

In April 2018, the International Cross Border Traders’ Association (ICTA) failed to block the border after the organisers of the event developed cold feet at the eleventh hour.