By Rex Mphisa
NORTHBOUND traffic from South Africa into Zimbabwe has soared as thousands of locals based in that country head home for the festives.
In the same pattern albeit at a slighter scale, thousands of southbound travellers are also passing thhrough Beitbridge to SA either for holidays or last minute christmas shopping.
On Monday both the Zimbabwean and SA borders at Beitbridge were locked with both human and motor traffic.
“Today its better than yesterday,” Zimborders General Manager Nqobile Ncube told Ziyah News Network in an interview on Tuesday.
On Monday Ncube said he spend the better part of the day managing traffic on the New Limpopo Bridge which had intermittent blockages throughout the day.
The bridge, Zimbabwe’s first toll enterprise opened in 1995 by former presidents Robert Mugabe and Nelson Mandela, both late, is not expected to have static weight.
Officials at Beitbridge on both the SA and Zimbabwe battled to move vehicles off the bridge.
For the last three days, according to one official, the arrival carpark was jam-packed as Zimbabweans went up north.
“Cars had to be redirected to the bus terminal carpark to ease congestion on the private motorists and pedestrians section.
It is believed more than three million Zimbabweans live in SA legally or otherwise.
Most of these trek back home in December to join their families making the N1 Road in SA among the busiest in that country.
Arrive Alive, an SA traffic watchdog said the N1 was congested .
“For the N1 North, expect heavy festive season traffic towards Limpopo/Polokwane, with potential delays around Beitbridge Border Post and areas like Pumulani Plaza, making patience or using the R101 good strategies, though specific real-time incidents need checking with local apps like Waze/Google Maps for live updates as South,” Arrive Alive warned motorists on its Facebook updates.
On Monday SA immigration grappled with thousands of people entering SA resulting in delays lasting up to five hours.
Weary officers struggled to maintain queues as impatients travellers became restless.
“We have been here since 3am, we are tired, children are restless and there is too much hit,” Barbara Phiri of Malawi.
Dozens of buses from Malawi bound for Johannesburg were packed in the SA border with SA officials clearly overwhelmed by arrivals.