Home
FacebookTwitterSearchMenu
  • Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • News
  • Features
  • Knowledge Library
  • Columns
  • Customs
  • Jobs
  • Directory
  • FX Rates
  • Contact us
    • Contact us
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Send us news
    • Editorial Guidelines
Africa
Border Beat
Imports and Exports
Road/Rail Freight

BORDER BEAT: Beitbridge queue shrinks as interventions pay off

22 Oct 2021 - by Eugene Goddard
0 Comments

Share

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • E-mail
  • Print

Not to overstate the case, but it’s truly a sight to behold – watching trucks flowing north across the Limpopo River into Zimbabwe.

Ordinarily members of the 4th Estate embrace the negative in the hunt for newsworthiness.

It’s the stuff readership dreams are made of, the way we ply our trade.

But not this morning.

Not at Beitbridge.

Today we accentuate the positive.

For the first time in more than two months, truckers stuck at the continent’s worst transit can speed up in the queue as efforts to decongest the crossing take effect – real effect.

Early this morning Mike Fitzmaurice, chief director of the Federation of East and Southern African Road Transport Associations, posted a video showing trucks moving, rather than standing still.

At 6:43am he said the queue was 6.2 kilometres long, and one lane – the best it’s been since August.

It was almost too good to be true considering that only days ago trucks were queuing several lines abreast across the N1, sometimes six when the congestion was at its peak, with some drivers saying it took up to 10 days to get across.

And now it seems to be a thing of the past.

Why?

Because of serious interventions taken to address the cause of the bottleneck: transporters sending drivers to the border without paperwork that’s in order, to name just one of the reasons.

Said Fitzmaurice: “Please note that all trucks that are seen in this video have been vetted as compliant by Zimra (Zimbabwe Revenue Authority) on the SA side.”

As a result they were fast-tracked into a green-flow lane, provided that all required tariffs and tolls were paid north of the border.

To give some context, this is what an official from the South African Revenue Service had to say: “We have been bedevilled by slow movement for some time, and through our regular Zimra/Sars engagements, the following are being put in place to ensure speedy movement.”

·       Zimra will deploy officers at our south gate and on the N1 outside Gateway Truckpark to check if trucks are fully precleared on the Zimbabwean side.

·       If not fully cleared they will not be allowed to proceed to port, but will be directed to truck parks (on a) first in-first first-out principle once (they are) clearing-compliant.

·       If a truck is fully precleared, it will be given identifying marks to proceed to port and be directed to a fast lane (…).

He added that Zimra would also institute penalties for truckers who stayed longer than necessary when they arrived on the Zimbabwean side.

“They need to finalise border processes immediately and not stay over.”

The same applies to those who arrive in Zimbabwe without the necessary preclearance compliance.

Furthermore, he said Zimra continuously pleaded with clearing agents and runners to be available throughout the night, and appealed for improved communication between all concerned – transporters, drivers, and the aforementioned border staff.

In short, these interventions appear to address all the issues previously mentioned as causes for congestion at Beitbridge: trucks arriving at the border without adhering to the necessary compliance procedures, and staff preferring to comply with a dawn-to-dusk Covid curfew even though it was gazetted recently that they are part of essential services.

WATCH: In a rare sight not often seen, trucks flow through the Beitbridge border in this video courtesy of Fesarta.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6qO5gzQXbg

Sign up to our mailing list and get daily news headlines and weekly features directly to your inbox free.
Subscribe to receive print copies of Freight News Features to your door.

Shipyard turns to humanoids to sail ahead

Logistics

This move is seen as a significant step in the industry’s push towards automation.

08 May 2025
0 Comments

AD Ports group signs Suez Canal deal

Imports and Exports

The company has committed $120 million for the initial development and feasibility studies.

08 May 2025
0 Comments

Drones strike Port Sudan

Imports and Exports

The city’s port and airport precinct have been targeted in the attacks over the past four days.

08 May 2025
0 Comments

RFA Convention to spotlight freight solutions

Logistics

Transport sector leaders will focus on resolving burning issues facing the industry at the upcoming conference.

07 May 2025
0 Comments

Sea freight under fire from trade war

Sea Freight

The outlook for container shipping was even more uncertain now than it was at the onset of the Covid virus.

 

07 May 2025
0 Comments

Illicit trade hits South Africa’s state capture-eroded fiscus hard

Economy
07 May 2025
0 Comments

Danish line rolls out IoT platform

Sea Freight

Maersk has implemented a new digital connectivity platform aboard its fleet for cargo tracking.

07 May 2025
0 Comments

Vietnam US exports surge as ‘conduit cargo’ from China floods in

Imports and Exports

US trade officials have repeatedly warned Vietnam to crack down on transshipment practices.

07 May 2025
0 Comments

Gemini consistently more punctual – Sea-Intelligence

Sea Freight

The platform reports Gemini’s all arrivals (AA) rate for the first quarter of 2025 as 90.3% and 85.7% for trade.

07 May 2025
0 Comments

US holds fire on Red Sea rebels after Oman-brokered talks

Sea Freight

The Houthis reportedly informed the US administration that they “don’t want to fight anymore."

07 May 2025
0 Comments

Feri certificate provider expands services westward

Logistics

Dornay Swartz, projects manager at Africa Union Cargo Namibia, says work in the DRC paved the company’s way in West Africa. 

06 May 2025
0 Comments

Proactive prevention is a win-win

Logistics

Siva Pather, managing director of Land and Sea Risk, says the real challenge extended far beyond the criminal incidents.

06 May 2025
0 Comments
  • More

FeatureClick to view

Sea Freight May 2025

Border Beat

Fuel-crime curbing causes tanker build-up at Moz border
08 May 2025
Border police turn the tide on illegal crossings
29 Apr 2025
BMA officials arrested for enabling illegal immigration
24 Apr 2025
More

Featured Jobs

New

Transport Clerk (DBN)

Tiger Recruitment
Durban (New Germany)
09 May
New

Operations’ Coordinator

Brinks Security PTY LTD
Johannesburg
09 May
More Jobs
  • © Now Media
  • Privacy Policy
  • Freight News RSS
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Send us news
  • Contact us