Hundreds of travellers, mainly cross-border traders and shoppers, were reportedly stranded in Beitbridge after bus operators withdrew services to avoid having their buses impounded in a government operation targeting smuggled goods.
NewsDay reported that several buses have been seized, and operators face fines of up to US$60,000 for transporting suspected contraband. The operation is part of efforts to clamp down on smuggling.
Between 120 (off-peak) and 220 (peak), buses typically pass through Beitbridge daily, with the number of travellers increasing during the festive season.
Some buses were offloading passengers and stopping operations after their vehicles were targeted in the crackdown.
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube recently announced new measures to combat smuggling, empowering the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) to seize goods without proof of customs duty payment.
This includes raiding tuckshops and other outlets selling smuggled goods.
Following the announcement, security forces set up roadblocks and checkpoints around the border town to stop vehicles carrying goods without proper documentation, redirecting them to customs yards.
The crackdown extends beyond Beitbridge, with reports of buses and trucks being detained in various towns, including Masvingo, Harare, Chinhoyi, Bulawayo, and Mutare, as part of the intensified enforcement of the new directive.
A woman caught up in the swoop told NewsDay in an interview on Thursday that their bus was ordered to return to Beitbridge. She said:
We were ordered to return to the border post by a team which stopped us about 30km out of Beitbridge. We were escorted to the border post, where thorough searches were conducted on buses.
Several buses were stuck at Beitbridge, with goods being offloaded into Customs warehouses as part of the ongoing crackdown on smuggling.
A wide range of goods are being targeted, including essentials like rice, sugar, dairy products, clothing, tyres, electrical appliances, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, cement, motor spare parts, and detergents.
ZIMRA at Beitbridge has hired dozens of casual workers to help offload and pack seized goods from travellers.
At the Dulivhadzimo bus terminus, many buses offloaded passengers and luggage, with some buses not leaving due to the smuggling crackdown.
The buses typically transport both passengers and contraband, much of which is smuggled across the Limpopo River.
According to a Beitbridge Municipal police officer at the terminus, not a single bus departed from Beitbridge on Wednesday, a highly unusual situation for the busy border post.
More: Pindula News