BEITBRIDGE – Scenes of despair and desperation confronted holiday travellers at the Beitbridge border post on Sunday as thousands of people queued for hours to enter Zimbabwe from South Africa.
The situation was particularly dire for motorists, some who spent up to nine hours in queues to obtain temporary import permits (TIP) for their foreign-registered cars.
Touts seized on the chaos and were helping some motorists jump the queue in what some drivers claimed was a corrupt arrangement with ZIMRA officers.
“I waited nine hours to be served,” one man travelling from Johannesburg told ZimLive. “I filled in the TIP information online as recommended by ZIMRA, but the problem is that you still need to pay physically at Beitbridge to obtain the TIP, and ZIMRA just doesn’t have the capacity to process everyone timely.”
Another motorist said he had arrived at 11AM, and only got his TIP just after 7PM.
“I was issued a ticket indicating I am number 102 in line. To get to the ZIMRA teller took me about eight hours. What I observed is that ZIMRA tellers are deliberately slowing the process to cause confusion. You have runners who appear to be working in collaboration with the ZIMRA officers jumping the queue after they take money from desperate drivers,” the man said.
ZIMRA said it “enforces zero tolerance to bribery and corruption” and urged travellers to report any illegal activities.
The drivers said the delays could be avoided if ZIMRA accepts payment online for TIPs, leaving only the printing and stamping to be done at the border.
Thousands of Zimbabweans are streaking home for Christmas and New Year’s holidays through Beitbridge, the country’s busiest port of entry.
During the festive season last year, South Africa’s Border Management Authority said it facilitated movement of 645,590 people at Beitbridge – both outbound and inbound.
Zimbabwe’s immigration authorities say they are currently handling an average 13,000 travellers daily, which should peak in the final days leading up to Christmas.
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