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Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau

The ongoing civil works to modernise the Beitbridge border post, will not only give a facelift to the town’s infrastructure but will enhance a labour skills transfer programme for at least 1600 Zimbabweans, an official has said.

The Government and the Zimborders Consortium are carrying out border transformation works at a cost of US$300 million.

This is being done under a 17 and half-year concession between the two parties.

The consortium’s general manager, Mr Nqobile Ncube said they had employed more than 1600 Zimbabweans through the course of the project.

He said the Beitbridge community will also benefit from the key infrastructure including a fire station, a sewer oxidation dam, and improvement of water infrastructure that falls under the out-of-port works.

“There is an aspect of community beneficiation to this project. You will realise that we have created 1600 jobs for Zimbabweans,” said Mr Ncube.

“This does not only bring remuneration to the employees but also skills transfer, considering that when the contractor is done we will have a number of the locals who will have been empowered with a number of technical skills, they may use for life”.

He said they will continue to hire more people to carry out operations at the three border terminals, with 62 already having been hired to manage the bus terminal.

The project is being rolled out in three phases including the freight terminal, ICT facilities, roads (phase 1), the buses (phase 2), and light vehicles terminal, and the offsite works including the upgrading of water and sanitation facilities in Beitbridge town.

Phases 1 and 2 have already been completed while the project is expected to wind up in April next year.