Over 600,000 used the SA-Zimbabwe border during festive season

A total of 645,590 travellers used the Beitbridge Border Post during the recently concluded 2024 festive season, according to an announcement made by South Africa's Border Management Authority (BMA) on Monday.

In a statement, the BMA revealed a notable increase in the number of travellers crossing South Africa's borders across all ports of entry in 2024 compared to the previous year. Both OR Tambo International Airport and Beitbridge recorded the highest volumes of traffic during the festive period.

Beitbridge, which is the busiest inland port, typically handles an average of 15,000 crossings daily during off-peak periods. However, this number can triple during peak seasons. The border serves as a crucial transit point for travellers from several countries, including Botswana, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia, Angola, Tanzania, Malawi, and Zimbabwe.

"Starting with immigration matters, the BMA facilitated the legitimate movement of approximately 5,084,251 travellers across our 71 ports of entry during this festive period," said the BMA. "This figure represents an increase of 51,680 travellers compared to the 2023/2024 festive period. However, it remains lower than the pre-COVID-19 figure of about 6 million travellers."

During the festive period, OR Tambo International Airport handled the highest number of travellers, with 1,065,636 people passing through, followed by Beitbridge, which saw 645,590 travellers. The Lebombo land port, which leads into Mozambique, recorded 571,131 travellers.

The BMA also reported processing a substantial volume of vehicles during this period, including over 395,189 private vehicles, 12,974 minibus taxis, and 6,071 buses.

The top ten ports, including OR Tambo International Airport, Beitbridge, and Lebombo, facilitated approximately 3,964,122 travellers, accounting for the majority of movements, while the remaining 33% were processed through the other 61 ports of entry across the country.

In addition to passenger traffic, the BMA processed a significant number of commercial vehicles. A total of 58,938 trucks were processed, with 47,891 cleared for exports and 11,047 for imports. The BMA reported that 74% of export trucks were cleared within 30 minutes, while 66% of import trucks were processed in the same time frame. Notably, Beitbridge recorded the highest number of imports with 5,521 trucks, while Lebombo facilitated the majority of export trucks at 18,544.

The increase in traveller and vehicle traffic at Beitbridge and other key border points reflects a strong recovery in cross-border movement and underscores the importance of these entry points to the region's economic activity.