BEITBRIDGE - ECOCASH NOW ACCEPTED

Econet's mobile money transfer service.

Recently we noticed that the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority has put up signs indicating that they finally are accepting mobile money transferes to pay duty and other obligations. (Of course Econet terms and Conditions apply).

The questions that has been on our minds was why it took them so long to adopt this method of payment when Zimbabwe as a nation is struggling with a cash crisis and almost everything is paid for using plastic money.

We haven't seen the official announcement other than a statement in the 2018 National Budget Proposals where the finance minister stated that government departments would start accepting mobile money as a form of payment.

So far we have noticed that its only Ecocash that is being accepted,we do not know when the other mobile money transfer platforms will join in.

At Beitbridge there is still the issue of so many monies being paid to so many different government departments whose payments systems differ as much as the departments even though they are all collecting money for government.

Zimbabwe banks right now are sometimes giving depositors money in coin form yet Zimra and most government departments do not accept payments in coin form.

The Vehicle Inspection Department and Immigration do not accept payment in Bond notes, only cash USD and/or Rand whose exchange rates are around R15 to USD1.00. They insist on getting paid in foreign currency. Which in this case is cash United StatesDollar or South African Rand.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police Post at the border now accepts payment in Bond Notes but their rate of exchange if one is paying in South African Rand is around R14 to USD1.00. We understand sometime back they used to refuse payment of fines in Bond notes and insisted in fines being paid in USD cash or South African Rand only.  

The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority has for some time now been accepting duty payments from bank card holders for quite some (which now is almost the form of payments for most duties), this has made life easy for the importing community. We have however noticed the Revenue Authority faces constant system challenges making the whole revenue collection system unreliable and difficult to work with. We hope as promised by the authorities the system will be running with little or few  outages in the near future.

Its our hope that with the re-alignment of government institutions at the border it will be easy for travellers to pay for the numerous government dues in time and with little difficulty and give them time to do what they love most - travelling.

  

BEITBRIDGE PUBLICITY

We seem to be the only voice talking about Beitbridge. Maybe so because the name to many is associated with problems, difficulties, pain and most of all its actually a mystery except to those working there.

Having worked at the border for the past decade, we have seen the best as well as the worst and yes we have seen travellers who have vowed never to come through this place ever again.

What is it with Beitbridge that makes it so unique.

Distance from major town:
Harare - 585km
Bulawayo - 321km
Johannesburg - 463km
Pretoria - 463km
Louis Trichardt - 120km.

The above mentioned makes Beitbridge a remote place. So if one forgets something home, then one is looking at at least three to four hours' drive or if its public transport, then its a whole day or night.

The place is generally a very place with average temperatures around 38Degrees Celsius making it a very uncomfortable place to be.

One thing we noticed with Beitbridge, information is scarce and in cases incorrect. Getting a correct and working telephone line is an issue in some cases.

Official information channels are not many.

The Zimbabwe side of the border has lately embarked on a massive signage of the border post and its better now compared to previous years.

Knowing when best to get to the border, what to bring and most of all getting served in time is the secret to enjoying crossing the border.

At Beitbridge, information is power and once you know what to do, when to do it and how to do it then your crossing the border either way is made enjoyable.

Get in touch on our whatsapp number and we can give you an update of the situation at the border.

Happy travelling.

BORDER UPDATE: 14 JANUARY 2017

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This weekend ending today marks the last of the long end of year break for many SA based travellers who are making a last minute rush back to South Africa.

Surprisingly for this time of the year, Beitbridge has not been that busy though we expect the number of southbound buses to increase significantly overnight.

Private travellers seem to have heeded the call to travel earlier and we are seeing motorists getting here around 1400hrs and this has eased the crossing procedure as work is spread throughout the day and when the buses eventually arrive they are attended to in time.

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We know the southbound crusade starts congestion from the border and it gathers momentum with holiday makers from Limpopo province of South Africa and by the time one reaches Polokwane, driving will be torturous as at every toll gate there is heavy congestion and delays.

We would like to wish those still on the road safe arrival and please be patient with fellow road users as you drive back from the holidays.

Happy driving.

MUSINA HORRIFIC ACCIDENT

The Toyota Fortuner. Two occupants died.

The accident happened between an Iveco minibus and a Toyota Fortuner at the first bridge near Sasol Garage on the way to Louis Trichardt from Musina.

Details are still coming in.

N1 is closed temporarily whilst Emergency Services personnel are clearing the scene.

The driver of the Iveco minibus survived with injuries.

The Iveco minibus did not have any passengers on board.

We are urging drivers to exercise caution on the road.

BEITBRIDGE CONTACTS.

Contact details

There is something mysterious about Beitbridge, its so hard to contact any institution, and we as Crossing Beitbridge have been receiving enquiries on contact numbers for major stakeholders like Immigration, Revenue Authorities and other several departments represented at the border.

We managed to get some, and if you have any that you know, please send the contacts to us.

Zimbabwe Immigration

00 263 8523 22368

00 263 8523 22527

00 263 8523 22506

00 263 8523 22024

Zimbabwe Revenue Authority Switchboard

00 263 8523 22429

00 263 8523 22362

00 263 8523 22536

00 263 8523 22366

00 263 8523 22303

Shift Managers

Mr. S. Mpofu 00 263 712 624 304

Mr. P. Mutembo 00 263 712 618 858

Mr. J. Chakasikwa 00 263 712 624 226

Mrs. S. Zengeni 00 263 712 424 722

Enforcement Manager

Mr. S. Muremba 00 263 712 876 403

Zimra have on their website a list of contacts for all the border posts and offices throughout Zimbabwe.

BEITBRIDGE - A REVIEW

                                           

In the past three weeks Beitbridge was the centre of focus as a lot of travellers went through it to or from South Africa.

People in Central and East Africa if travelling by road have to go through Beitbridge to get to South Africa, this has made the border post one of the busiest inland port in the region.

At its peak the border can process up to 25000 travellers a day, surely not a small task and in the handling of such large numbers of travellers, situations sometimes do get out of control resulting in congestion and  travellers getting stranded.

We know you may have gone through the border recently, what was your experience? Will you travel again through the border during holidays?

We have asked this questions before, what is to be blamed for the chaos you saw?

What is your advice for travellers planning to go through the border.

We wish you success as you start the new year.

BORDER UPDATES: SOUTHBOUND CONGESTION 07/01

The past twenty four hours have seen the shifting of the congestion from small cars to buses and trucks spending the best part of the day on traffic queue that is backing up some good two kilometres and which has hardly moved the whole day.

When we spoke to some drivers they were saying since joining the queue they had moved only twice the whole day. They are likely to sleep on the queue having moved about a kilometre in 12 hours.

The reason for the queue for the trucks getting stuck was that the Zimbabwe side is using the export route for trucks to park buses and since morning the area was full with buses resulting in the trucks not being able to pass through.

Small cars seem to have heeded our call for them to travel early and we saw the border getting busy in flash crowds but also quickly getting empty.

Most South African companies are opening for business tomorrow, that is why this weekend was so congested.

Compared with other years, this year seems well managed.

Happy travelling.

BORDER UPDATES: CONGESTION EITHER DIRECTION

This morning the border was very busy and we expect the situation to worsen late this afternoon as more South African based motorists return to their different bases.



The sheer number of southbound travellers has chocked the border and as much as the border officials are trying their best the situation is critical from time to time.







We have noticed that motorists are all getting to the border all at the same time and in most cases its from late afternoon and at night its worse.

There has been near chaotic situations as drivers jostle to squeeze their way to be the first one to be served.

The situation looks like its likely to worsen as more travellers will be coming through the border after the holidays.

Northbound has also been busy with mainly children coming back from visiting parents in South Africa after holidays. 

Zimbabwe weekend shoppers have also contributed to the long queues.

It is our hope that this period will be handled smoothly by authorities and with promises of improvements in the pipeline we hope this will be the last of the nightmares of travellers.

Happy travelling.

DRIVER FATIGUE IS DANGEROUS

Driver fatigue is one of the major causes of accidents either side of the Limpopo.

By its location, Beitbridge is so remote from business centres such that one has to drive at least 100km to get to a major town.

We noticed that usually drivers would not rest at the border as they would be sorting out papers for both their loads and/or passengers and once out of the border, they are the onces who are again left with the task to remain awake whilst in most cases the passengers doze off. This results in drivers now also getting sleepy and losing control of their vehicles and/or hitting animals on the road.

If night driving the situation is worse as visibility is also affected considerably.

We would like to urge drivers to get some rest and even sleep once they feel that they are tired.

The road, N1 from South Africa and R9 from Zimbabwe is dotted along its length with suitable and affordable guest houses, lodges, and even hotels to give drivers and passengers alike secure places to rest overnight.

We would like travellers who have had the chance to experience the services offered by these establishments to share their experiences with others.

Happy driving.

BORDER UPDATES: BEITBRIDGE NOT BUSY 04/01/18

We are just from the border, its not busy, Zimbabwe immigration, Zimbabwe Republic Police and Zimra have set up additional traveller processing points and this is proving to be quite effective.

South African Immigtation and SARS are also doing their best having separated travellers into four categories, the pedestrians, motorists, bus passengers and truckers. This has also proved to be quite effective though travellers themselves are messing up with the system as they try to jump queues and in the process delaying the clearing of the border by bus passengers and motorists as they wait for their passengers.

Like we have always said, the best time to get to the border southbound is from mid morning to late afternoon.

Guys, enjoy your driving.  

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TRAVELLING WITH CHILDREN

Travelling with children internationally.

In the coming few days, many people will be passing through Beitbridge in either direction after the holidays with children going back to their respective bases.

Its not always that these children will be travelling with both parents and in some cases even some children may be travelling without even a single parent.

The upsurge in cases of human trafficking and child abductions has made border officials to be vigilant and ask more questions in situations involving minors.

We have over the years given this guideline on the requirements where children are travelling internationally with or without their parents.

There may be exceptions but these are the general rules.

1. WHERE BOTH PARENTS ARE TRAVELLING.
a. Unabridged Birth certificate/baby clinic card/medical aid card.
b. Valid Passport.

2. Where One Parent is travelling
a. Valid passport.
b. Unabridged Birth certificate/baby clinic card/medical aid card.
c. Original Affidavit from the absent parent.
d. Certified Copy of identity document and or passport of the absent parent.

3. Where child is travelling with relative/guardian
a. Valid passport.
b. Unabridge Birth certificate/baby clinic card/medical aid card.
c. Original Affidavit signed by both absent parents
d. Certified Copies of identity documents and or passport of both absent parents.

4. Single mother (Child uses mother’s surname)(Illegitimate child)
a. Valid passport.
b. Unabridged Birth certificate/baby clinic card/medical aid card.

5. Deceased Parent/parents
a. Cerified Copies of death certificate of one or both of the deceased parents.
b. Valid passport.
c. Original Affidavit signed by guardian
d. Unabridged Birth certificate/baby clinic card/medical aid card.

Situations and requirements may slightly differ from border to border.

Some borders may accept soft copies of the above mentioned but to be safe its always advisable to have certified copies.

We have received reports of bus crews telling travellers that they can facilitate the crossing of children, we advise travellers its both expensive and illegal and many children end up being trafficked and huge sums being demanded by those who would have crossed with the children.

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BORDER CALM OVERNIGHT

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Its unbelievable, the border has been so quiet overnight such that southbound, the Zimbabwe side was taking an average of 10 minutes to process a bus full of travellers.

We could not ascertain of the South African side but the number of travellers was so low.

What we know for sure from our years at the border is that this is a false indication as come Sunday the 4th of January and Sunday the 11th of January there is likelihood of chaos as travellers will in their thousands be heading south after the holidays.

We urge travellers to plan accordingly and avoid the flash crowds.

Enjoy your holidays.

ZRP Roadblocks

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ZRP Roadblocks-What Happened

This time of the year, many people are driving a lot to or from holiday and this scenario had at one time become a permanent feature on Zimbabwe's roads.

To those who have recently driven through Zimbabwe, did you encounter any road blocks, what was your experience?

Can you say things have indeed changed?

We would like to wish all those who are travelling safe arrivals and please do not drink and drive.

Beitbridge border post has been quiet either direction though we expect some congestion with the southbound traffic.

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