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Walter Nyamukondiwa Mashonaland West Bureau

The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) has suspended the use of Kariba Border Post for cross border bus operators and clearance of imported vehicles through Zambia with effect from this Thursday.

In a notice, Zimra Commissioner of Customs and Excise Batsirai Chadzingwa said the suspension would take effect on July 20, until further notice.

The suspension will affect cross border travellers, importers of vehicles through Zambia and such traffic will be redirected to Chirundu One-Stop Border Post.

“The Commissioner of Customs & Excise wishes to advise all valued stakeholders, cross border passenger bus operators, importers of vehicles and their clearing agents as well as all cross border travellers through Kariba, that the Authority has suspended, until further notice, the use of Kariba Border Post as a port of entry for cross border passenger ferrying buses and vehicles imported from the Far East transiting through Zambia from the Port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania,” said Comm Chadzingwa.

The decision, he said, follows an increase in the volume of traffic at Kariba Border Post, which has overstretched the current infrastructure at the port of entry.

“This decision comes in the wake of high traffic congestion being experienced at Kariba Border Post which has stretched the current infrastructure beyond its capacity to handle cross border traffic.

“The current high traffic volumes have also adversely affected ongoing Government projects towards refurbishment of the Kariba Dam wall structures and the hydro-power plant, both of which are critical national resources given their strategic economic importance,” he said.

Zimra has put in place contingency measures in consultation with the Zambia Revenue Authority to manage the adjustments at the port of entry.

“In liaison with our counterparts in the Zambia Revenue Authority, suitable intervention measures have been put in place to manage the adjustments of the port of entry (Zimbabwe) and port of exit (Zambia) on any declarations that had already been received and processed through the automated platforms of each Authority,” said Comm Chadzingwa.

“All fresh declarations henceforth should reflect the port of exit and/or port of entry aligned to the changes effected by this notice as the case may be.”