Thousands of Zimbabweans cleared into SA

THOUSANDS of Zimbabweans and South African who had been stuck at Beitbridge border post last night were cleared and headed to the neighbouring country between 6 Am and 2 PM.

Some of the travellers had slept at the no man's land after failing to gain entry into South Africa after 9 PM last night.

The governments of Zimbabwe and South Africa have imposed curfews   and a raft of other measures to minimize the rate of new coronavirus infections.

Scenes at Beitbridge border post today The Zimbabwean curfew runs from 6 PM to 6 PM, while South Africa's starts at 9PM and ends at 6 AM.

Many Zimbabweans work in South Africa but the exact total number is yet to be verified.

At least 300 000 are covered under the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP).

According to one border authority on the Zimbabwe side, human traffic was cleared to exit in the morning and authorities are now clearing vehicles into South Africa in small batches.

"We have cleared most of those who were at the border at the close of business by last night, and now we are pushing vehicles to South Africa in batches. This is done to avoid clogging the border with vehicular traffic," said the official.

The volume of traffic at Beitbridge has increased due to a last-minute rush but travellers who wanted to leave the county before the suspension of general passenger travel that started today.

Under the new order, only Zimbabweans who are residents or have work or student permit in foreign countries are allowed to depart.

In terms of arrivals, Zimbabweans wishing to return home may return and also foreign nationals who ate legal residents of the country are allowed entry.