a go-slow while others suggested that there was a shortage of manpower.

Heavy congestion has also been blamed on the mismatch in operating times between Beitbridge post, which operates 24 hours and Chirundu which handles much of its traffic and opens at 6am closing at 6pm.

Drivers in the queue lamented the delays saying a trip which should take two days was now taking up to eight days which chewed into their running allowances.

“I have been here since Saturday and there is very little movement that is taking place here and we have made efforts to find out what is happening at the customs department but there is no one forthcoming with the right information. Right now we running out of money because of the number of days we have spent on the road,” said Leonard Kabunda of Zambia.

When the Herald visited the border post drivers had organised themselves and confronted officials who however, promised to look into the matter and address them.

The delays have also seen an upsurge in criminal activity as thieves were targeting the trucks and stealing batteries and fuel while accidents have become a common sight as drivers try to manoeuvre in the traffic jungle.

Police could be seen directing the movement of traffic as the number of trucks made driving a nightmare for other motorists.

Sources in the police said they were being forced to embark on night patrols in a vehicle for fear of wild animals while vehicle patrols were not very effective as thieves would just hide behind trucks until they pass.

Principal immigration officer Mr Osmond Sademera said there was no problem in the immigration section which deals with the movement of people and stamping of their papers while the customs section deals with commercial cargo.

“We are happy with the work that we are doing in our section. There is no congestion of people so it shows that things are going on well. As for the congestion I am not well placed to know what is causing it,” he said.

Investigations revealed that there was limited space to handle large volumes of trucks on the Zambian side which has seen even those whose papers have been processed being told to wait on the Zimbabwean side until space is available.

A source said efforts should be made on the Zambian side to create space to accommodate more traffic if the one-stop border post which was launched last year is to achieve the intended results of ensuring smooth passage of traffic.

“The idea of a one-stop border post was noble but there are challenges that have to do with manpower shortages co-ordination of the two sides so that there are no unnecessary delays,” said the source.

Efforts to get a comment from Zimra which deals with commercial cargo were fruitless as all questions were referred to head office in Harare which had not responded by the time of going to print.

Sources said limited accommodation was hampering efforts to increase manpower as Chirundu was marooned in a wildlife area and negotiations for more land were being thwarted by the Parks and Wildlife Authority.

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