The ManicaPost
Cletus Mushanawani
News Editor
FORBES Border Post will be running 24 hours, starting on Monday.
Both Zimbabwe and Mozambique are ready to open Forbes and Machipanda border posts 24 hours respectively.
Currently, both borders close at 10pm, forcing truckers to spend more time in the queues awaiting clearance.
Various Government agencies involved in the clearance of goods at port entries toured Forbes Border Post today to have an appreciation of operations at the busy border.
Chairperson of the Forbes Committee on 24-hours Operation as well as Transport and Infrastructural Development Permanent Secretary, Engineer Joy Makumbe, announced that Forbes Border Post will be running 24 hours, starting on Monday.
“Come Monday, we will be opening 24 hours so that we can reduce the backlog in terms of clearance of cargo. All stakeholders in the movement of good in and out of the country are here and we have agreed that starting on Monday, Forbes Border Post will be opening 24 hours so that we can address all the challenges affecting the smooth flow of traffic at the border.
“Mozambican Transport Minister recently had a conversation with our own minister, and they said they are ready as well to open their border (Machipanda) 24 hours, and it was left on us to be ready. We are giving all the necessary Government agencies and other stakeholders this whole weekend to make the necessary preparations to ensure that come Monday everything is in place to run 24 hours,” said Engineer Makumbe.
Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Raphael Faranisi, said: “”We know that as we open the border 24 hours, there will be some teething problems, but we are ready to address all these challenges. We now have the experience to operate our borders 24 hours as Beitbridge and Chirundu are already operating round the clock. We will also be looking for cooperation from the private sector to tell us what their needs will be as Forbes Border Post is proving to be our lifeline to the Sea Port of Beira.”
