By Rex Mphisa
EASTER holiday makers expecting to travel through Beitbridge have asked the South Africa’s (SA) government to ensure officials have their house in order at the first break of the year after the Christmas and New Year holidays.
SA rated among Africa’s top economies embarrassed itself on March 12 this year when it completely shut the busy Beitbridge border post due to a power outage and a standby generator breakdown.
On that day that country’s power utility Eskom was on a scheduled maintenance when it cut power and the generator at the border failed to kick in.
The Border Management Authority downplayed the embarrassment pretending to the press it never was.
Deputy head of the BMA Balene Mkhabela told Ziyah News Network that their officials at the SA side said everything was normal.
She forwarded a message from an unidentified BMA commander at Beitbridge claiming that it was unfounded there was closure due to a power outage because the border operated on Uninterrupt3d power supply (UPS) on March 12.
“The above is the response from the Beitbridge Port Commander, Sir,” Mkhabela said attaching the following message.
“The claims are unfounded. There was no time when the border was closed, we had a power outage the entire day yesterday with Eskom doing maintenance but we were operating on UPS and back up generator,” the message claimed.
On the same day, Ziyah Media Network asked the Zimbabwe Regional Immigration officer at Beitbridge Joshua Chibundu about delays and he said SA officials visited his office to request that travellers be held on the Zimbabwean side until the power supply was restored.
“They did come here. They have power problems and we have had to hold back travellers and commercial truckers and buses,” he said.
Information from a shipping and goods forwarding agents network confirmed Mkhabela had been misled but she did not respond when the same were forwarded to her.
The resultant delay was 12 hours when there was not a single human, vehicle traffic movement between the two countries, the first occurence from a power fault like this in living memory.
Now stakeholders want BMA to put its house in order in the background of a Monday warning to transport operators by commissioner Michael Masiapato who warned those facilitating undocumented travellers will meet the full wrath of the law.
Transport operators believe it makes sense to make it easy for documented travellers ro enjoy a smooth flow never witnessed regularly with trips marred by delays at Beitbridge.
“We are asking them to put their house in order and not put all their efforts at chasing border jumpers. Bona fide travellers need more attention, people with passports are not getting the attention border jumpers are getting,” said Edmore Madombi, a bus driver.
Another driver who asked not to be named said BMA should put layered security in the border and fish out bad apples within their system facilitating illegal crossing.
“Let them swamp the border with cameras and see the real deal. They must not punish genuine travellers because of their staff inefficiencies. Corruption starts inside and not outside,” said the driver electing anonymity.
On Monday ts SA side had started preparations for the anticipated busy Easter with the usual human control fences in place.
The amphibious vehicle expected to patrol the Limpopo River was also deployed at Beitbridge ready for action together with some ugly looking all terrain vehicles which might be of little use because the Limpopo River is flooded and not an easy attempt.
Latest media reports have Masiapato saying BMA introduced highly secure new passport stamps with unique numbers allocated to specific immigration officers, which will allow authorities to trace any ill…