Border delays persist despite streamlined processes

Southern African border posts may have speeded up cargo processing, but they remain unpredictable, with regular users agreeing you never know what you will get on the day. “Efficient and effective border posts across southern Africa are crucial if we want to improve trade,” said Gavin Kelly, spokesman for the Road Freight Association (RFA). “And yes, we are seeing an improvement at border posts – especially on the South African side where some major triumphs have been achieved with the introduction of the Customs modernisation programme.” Kelly said pre-clearing and the automated cargo management system had speeded up transit time, with trucks moving faster through the processes than ever before, only to be held up in countries where the same systems were not being used. And many countries are still reliant on manual systems which lead to even further delays,” he said. “In addition, sometimes the infrastructure at border posts slows down the movement of trucks even when the cargo has been cleared quickly. Trying to cross rivers over one-lane bridges or even negating the bottlenecks that occur at these border posts result in further delays.” He said while major inroads had been made at border posts like Beitbridge for instance, the 14km long queues over December did not improve perceptions about efficiency. The abnormally long queues at the border post in December 2012 were the result of the high number of people crossing between the countries – up to 30 000 in a single day. Zimbabwe officials have said the situation at Beitbridge remains intolerable and unacceptable. They have gone as far as suggesting the development of a new border post between the two countries. CAPTION Beitbridge border ... ‘you never know what to expect.’