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Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
The clearance of travellers entering or leaving South Africa by road through Beitbridge Border Post has relatively improved following the suspension of four immigration officers in that country over dereliction of duty.

The situation got to a head on Wednesday in the neighbouring country when a video of a female immigration officer stationed at Beitbridge went viral.

The official was caught on camera devoting much of her working time on social media using her cellphone, instead of serving travellers.

The identity of the immigration officer is yet to be established.

The incident resulted in the suspension of four immigration officials.

Prior to the latest development, accessing South Africa by road through Beitbridge had become cumbersome for most citizens from countries north of the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers.

In serapate interviews yesterdays, regular travellers said the service delivery and efficiency on the South African side of the border had drastically improved.

They said some immigration officers were even pleading with them not to shoot any videos about their operations.

“I was shocked to spend less than one hour on the South African side of the border, which is usually a nightmare for most of us,” said Mr Bryn Chidzanga.

“I am a truck driver and have been using this border for the past four months. The treatment we were getting from the immigration officials here was heartbreaking.

“Ten people used to spend between 45 minutes and one hour to get their passports endorsed. Today, I spent less than 10 minutes for the same process. I wish they could maintain this kind of service forever.”

A cross-border trader, Mrs Gladys Musarurwa, said she spent less than 30 minutes to access South Africa in the morning, which is usually a busy period.

“Travelling to South Africa via Beitbridge had become a cumbersome process for most cross-border traders, due to the treatment and long hours we spend here,” she said.

She said delays were a serious cause for concern for many travellers.