Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister, Barbara Rwodzi, said that Zimbabwe will engage South Africa to speed up the processing of travellers between the two countries during peak periods.
This comes after thousands of travellers were forced to wait for their buses on the Zimbabwean side of the Beitbridge Border Post because they were caught up in traffic jams on the South African side in the past few days.
Speaking on Sunday during a visit to Beitdridge town, Rwodzi said there is a need for the two countries to engage each other during peak periods to ensure there is seamless travel for visitors on both sides of the border. NewsDay quoted Rwodzi as saying:
Our Zimbabwean side is okay and officials have cleared all people here. They are waiting for their buses and vehicles caught up in traffic jams on the SA side. Travellers have indicated they are waiting for their transport.
We will in future engage our counterparts in SA to see how we can speed up movement, and make it seamless.
I am happy that facilities by Zimborders have enabled fast movements on our side.
I am told the average per day has been around 20 000 people a day and we expect 25 000 today [Sunday].
Rwodzi spoke to travellers at the border and distributed water and various goodies to children and adults alike.
Beitbridge Border Post, which is Zimbabwe’s busiest port of entry, handles approximately 300 buses, 2 000 commercial trucks, 3 000 light vehicles, and 20 000 travellers daily.
During holiday periods, these numbers can triple, resulting in even higher traffic volumes.
During this 2023 festive period, authorities are urging motorists to exercise caution, maintain safe following distances, and be vigilant of pedestrians at all times.
More: Pindula News