The South African Revenue Services (SARS) recently fixed a technical glitch that had seen transporters of commercial cargo face long delays at the Beitbridge Border Post.
SARS spokesperson, Mr Siphithi Sibeko, yesterday said they were working on ensuring a flawless passage for traffic. He said:
You will note that we don’t have a major challenge besides the fact that our online system is a little slower.
However, we are working on it and things will get better in the shortest possible time.
The delays occur a few months after SARS officials went on strike demanding a 12% pay rise, while their employer offered to review salaries by 1.7%, resulting in a stalemate. However, negotiations between the employees and the revenue collector later resolved the matter.
Slow-moving queues of freight trucks had become a common occurrence on the Zimbabwean side of the border, but following the upgrade of the Beitbridge Border Post, Zimbabwe no longer causes any delays to transporters of commercial cargo. The Zimbabwean side has been clearing an average of 900 trucks daily since the transformation of the border post.
Zimborders Consortium, responsible for managing the facility under a Build Operate Transfer (BOT) concession with the government, aims to clear at least 80% of freight within three hours by the second quarter of next year.