Gallo Images / Sowetan / Sandile Ndlovu
One truck driver, who spent five days at the border, alleged some drivers bribe officials to skip the long screening lines.
The All Truck Drivers Foundation said law enforcement needed to beef up security at night.
Traffic at the border re
portedly stretches for more than 15km.
Truck drivers say they are being left to fend for themselves at the Beitbridge border post between South Africa and Zimbabwe at night while waiting to be screened.
Truck driver and Gauteng secretary of the All Truck Drivers Foundation Mandla Mngomezulu said drivers were being robbed of their cellphones and clothes while waiting to be screened because the police were only visible during the day.
Woman dies at Beitbridge, situation at border critical
23 December 2020 9:31 AM
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Covid-19 protocols are adding to the delays at the troubled border, which are at least 24 hours on the South African side.
It s being reported that a woman has died after collapsing near the Beitbridge border in Limpopo.
It is believed the Zimbabwean citizen had been travelling on a bus since Monday afternoon.
Queues at the troubled border are reportedly up to 15km long.
Covid-19 protocols are apparently adding to the delays which can be up to 24 hours in South Africa and as much as 7 days in Zimbabwe.
Mike Fitzmaurice is the executive director at the Federation of East and Southern African Road Transport Associations (Fesarta) says the situation is critical.
Beitbridge traffic now queues for up to 15km â with a big coronavirus risk from Covid-19 rules Dec 21, 2020, 06:16 PM
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Trucks parked at Beitbridge (File photo by Gallo Images / Sowetan / Sandile Ndlovu)
A queue of vehicles stretching for 15km in both directions has crippled travel through the troubled Beitbridge border post.
Curfews and Covid-19 testing protocols are blamed for adding to the delays, which can last more than 24-hours in South Africa and seven days in Zimbabwe.
With no roadside ablution facilities or running water, the backlog and associated intermingling between drivers has the potential to become a super-spreader event.
You can get to the front of the queues and even bypass the Covid-19 test if you have money for a bribe, says an appalled transport association.
Stringent Covid-19 regulations – including testing, symptom screenings, and curfews – is being blamed for a traffic jam stretching for kilometres on both sides of the Beitbridge border post between Zimbabwe and South Africa. Now the backlog may actually be hastening the virus’ spread near Musina, and a super-spreader event can not be ruled out.
According to reports from law enforcement officials conducting roadblocks just north of Musina, and truck drivers stuck in a stagnant queue of vehicles, the traffic backlog leading to Beitbridge ranges between 10km and 15km, across two lanes.
Frustrated freight truck drivers attempting to pass into Zimbabwe report being stuck at the border for more than 24 hours.
A project of the scale of the Beitbridge border renewal is rare in investor-starved Zimbabwe (Image; Newzwire)
The Beitbridge border post, one of the busiest land crossings on the continent, is getting a makeover in a US$296 million modernisation project. Here,
newZWire reports on details of the project, and the players involved.
Why does Beitbridge need the project?
Everyone who has been through Beitbridge on a hot day knows why that border post needs fixing. The delays are caused by a combination of factors, which include bureaucracy, corruption and poor infrastructure.
The delays are bad for the economy, both for Zimbabwe and South Africa.