Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
CASES of rampant smuggling of goods at Forbes Border Post are set to decline sharply following the installation of drone technology to monitor and curtail corrupt activities at the border.
The technology is expected to be fully operational by year end.
Smuggling of minerals and other goods, including foodstuffs, along the country’s porous Eastern Highlands border with Mozambique and right at Forbes Border Post is rampant, bleeding the fiscus over the years.
Government has invested in drone technology to monitor activities at the country’s border posts, including Forbes Border Post.
Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube said by December 2024, drone technology would have been deployed at the porous eastern port of entry.
“Coming to the issue of drones, and border post security deployments, the programme is ongoing. I launched it in Beitbridge, and in fact, I was in a conversation with the Commissioner General recently when we met for our financial governance meeting, and she assured me that all the other borders will be covered by drone technology by end of this year.
“By December 31, all the borders will be having drones augmenting security,” said Minister Ncube.
On infrastructure development, Minister Ncube said an investor has already been identified and contracted to carry out works on the long awaited Christmas Pass Bypass Road Project.
“I am happy to say that we have concessioned it out to some investors who will basically expand Forbes Border Post, and redevelop it as well as deal with the bottlenecks happening along Christmas Pass, with some trucks getting stuck, even coming down is a challenge.
“We hope that this group will deliver a new border post.
“ I think we have seen progress on the Beitbridge side, and we believe that these are individuals or companies with the requisite skills to give us a new look border post,” he said.
The Forbes Border Post Project is part of a bigger initiative by Government to introduce computerised and online border management systems across all points of entry to enhance efficiency, reduce errors and combat potential corruption.
Only recently, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister, Honourable Kazembe Kazembe announced the initiative during a tour of the Immigration Department at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare.
The new integrated boarder system will connect civil registry, police and immigration departments.
Most of the hardware is already in place, with e-gates still to be installed.
Minister Kazembe confirmed that the system is operational, significantly reducing queues at arrivals and departures.
Key features include facial recognition technology to verify travellers’ identities against passport data.
The online system aims to automate processes, improving overall efficiency and reducing human intervention.
The rollout to all border posts is expected to be completed by year-end, marking a significant shift from manual to digital operations.
This modernisation effort is part of Zimbabwe’s broader strategy to streamline border management, enhance security, and improve the travel experience for visitors and citizens alike.
