Expatriates flock home through Plumtree Border Post

Over 12,000 people passed through Plumtree Border Post into Zimbabwe between Friday and Saturday as Diasporians flock home for festive holidays.

The border has since ushered in 24 hour- service to ensure smooth movement of human and vehicular traffic.

The principal immigration officer in charge for Western Region, Nonhlanhla Nyathi, said on Sunday that the volume of traffic has increased sharply in the last few days.

She said scores of travellers from South Africa now preferred using Plumtree Border Post because it was not congested compared to Beitbridge Border Post.

"Since the opening of the border for 24 hours on the 20th ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays, more than 6,000 people a day are entering the country. We have realised that travellers are shunning Beitbridge Border Post because of congestion," Nyathi said.

She added: "Before the festive season, between 2,000 and 3,000 people a day enter  the country through Plumtree during month ends and about 1,000 entries a day are cleared on any other day."

She said the border would remain open for 24 hours until tomorrow when it will revert to the normal closure time of 10pm.

To curb congestion, she said, the immigration office has set up two clearing points outside the immigration complex while five were inside.

The immigration department has a staff complement of 23 at Plumtree Border Post and all were available for duty this festive season to curb congestion.

She said: "It (24-hour opening) has always been there during the festive season but this time around we have decided to start opening for 24 hours on the 20th earlier than last year when it was opened 24 hours beginning on the 21st."

When Chronicle news crew visited the border the situation was under control on the Zimbabwean side with short queues. However, some of the travellers said there was congestion on the Botswana side saying they were spending between four hours and five hours to get cleared.

"There is congestion on the Botswana side and the situation there is terrible. We are made to wait for more than three hours to get cleared. We are happy that this side there is no congestion at all," said one of the travellers, Mary Dube.

Another traveller James Ncube said: "No explanation is given with regards to the congestion, and this is not good at all."

Nyathi could not comment on the congestion on the Botswana side.

"With us as you have seen there is no congestion and I cannot comment on behalf of others. We have opened two shifts with each running for 12 hours," she said.