Border hours extended for summit

ZIMBABWE has engaged Zambia to extend the operating hours at Victoria Falls Border Post to allow the flawless movement of delegates staying in Zambia for the 34th Summit of Sadc heads of State and government.

The border normally closes at 10pm, but Zimbabwean officials want the operating hours extended till midnight for the duration of the Summit.

Secretary for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Joey Bimha said they were also seeking relaxation of immigration procedures for all accredited delegates.

Some foreign delegates opted for accommodation on the Zambian side after hotels and lodges on the Zimbabwean side were fully booked.

"There are discussions under way with our colleagues in Zambia so that they can relax immigration rules for delegates who preferred to stay on the Zambian side," Ambassador Bimha said.

"They preferred staying there because hotels are fully booked this side. This is because the summit is fully subscribed.

"We are also requesting that they allow people with accreditation cards to cross without necessarily stamping on passports several times. Normally, some of them would need visas to cross so that is what we are requesting them to relax."

Ambassador Bimha said some meetings were likely to last into the night, hence the need to engage the Zambians to open their border.

Officially opening the meeting of Sadc Standing Committee officials yesterday, Ambassador Bimha, who assumed his position as chair of the committee, said he would work hard to ensure that the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) was a success.

"Finalisation of the review will hopefully give more focus and direction to our programmes particularly because many activities have been put in abeyance pending the finalisation of the review process.

"As we deliberate on the agenda before us, let us remain cognisant of the fact that without the finalisation of the RISDP, there would be inertia in our programmes.

"The priorities as stipulated in the revised RISDP shall provide the appropriate guidance to ourselves as member states, secretariat, key stakeholders and our international partners," Ambassador Bimha said.

Some of the priorities, he said, included trade and economic liberalisation, infrastructure support for regional integration, food security, HIV and Aids as well as issues of gender, Information Communication Technology and environment.

Ambassador Bimha said while the regional bloc was indebted to the international cooperating partners for their support of Sadc activities that saw them sponsoring about 60 percent of the bloc's annual budget, there was need for Sadc to be cognisant of the need to own its programmes through funding them.

As such, he said, it was important that the Sadc Regional Development Fund be established expeditiously to finance the regional bloc's programmes.

Meanwhile accreditation of delegates that started on Saturday continued yesterday with most of those who arrived having already been accredited.

All the structures are now on their feet with the main marquee, accreditation centre and media centre having been furnished.

Meetings of the Sadc Finance subcommittee and the one for senior officials were actually held in the 700-seater main marquee.

Several computers have been set up in the media centre for use by journalists during the Summit as well as television screens for live feed.