By Patience Gondo
SOUTH African border authorities are overwhelmed by the surge of returning immigrants following the Christmas and New Year.
Joshua Chibundu, the Regional Immigration Officer for Beitbridge, said Zimbabwe’s side of the border is coping but movement has stalled because the South African side cannot absorb the volume of travellers being cleared.
“On the Zimbabwean side, all travellers at the border bus terminus have been processed and cleared. The challenge is that the South African side does not have space to park the buses. They have told us they are overwhelmed,” Chibundu said.
Official figures seen by this publication show that 54 537 people were processed at Beitbridge over a three-day period underscoring the pressure on the border. On January 1 a total of 12 470 travellers crossed with 8 299 entering and 4 171 exiting.
On January 2, 2026 traffic peaked sharply with 22 379 people processed, including 16 992 entries into South Africa and 5 l 387 exits. A further 19 688 travellers were processed on January 3 comprising 15 737 entries and 3 951 exits.
In total 41 028 people entered South Africa over the three days, compared to 13 509 exits highlighting the scale of the return phase as migrant workers head back for employment and business opportunities.
Chibundu said congestion has pushed queues on both the commercial and pedestrian sides to critical levels, with vehicle lines overlapping into Beitbridge town robots.
“The only challenge we are now facing is the people stuck on the Zimbabwean side waiting to proceed. There are no ablution facilities for them and this is causing sanitation problems and a dirt mess in the terminals,” he said.
To manage the situation, South African traffic officials set up a roadblock between Musina and the border aimed at regulating traffic flow and intercepting undocumented travellers. The roadblock is located near bushy areas commonly used for illegal crossings.
During the operation, the Border Management Authority (BMA) intercepted 1,114 people who attempted to use undesignated entry points mainly due to lack of proper documentation .Two Zimbabwean syndicates allegedly facilitating illegal crossings into South Africa were arrested.
The border post is currently operating under peak demand, following a festive season in which nearly 500 000 travellers are estimated to have passed through Beitbridge in December 2025 alone. During off peak periods the border processes an average of 15,000 travellers per day.
“At the moment, Zimbabwe is ready. The pressure is on the South African side,” Chibundu said.