Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Walter Muchinguri
18 February 2008
Harare — The initiative to establish a one-stop border post between Zimbabwe and Mozambique, the second of its kind in the region, is a step in the right direction for the region but more importantly for the countries involved.
The one-stop border post synchronises operations and regulations between two partnering states. Travellers will need not clear on the Zimbabwe border post and then on the Mozambique side again, it would all be done under one roof. The establishment of the border post is important in strengthening the friendship and trade links that exist between Zimbabwe and Mozambique that dates back to days of the liberation struggle.
Already indications on the ground show that the project, to be implemented in the next 18 months after the conclusion of work by three working groups established this week during a two-day regional workshop, is long overdue and should have been implemented long back.
This is so because of the increased volume of traffic that is now passing through the border post on a daily basis since the two countries opened up through the removal of visa requirements in November last year.
The ensuing pressure on the ground following the abolishment of the visa requirements showed that customs officials were caught unawares as hundreds thronged the border to take advantage of the relaxed conditions.
During the first few days following the removal of visas people had to endure long queues as customs officials from both sides battled to clear congestion. This was not helped by the fact that the customs officials had to satisfy their own requirements. On the other hand, while there was jubilation on the part of seasonal travellers, cross border travellers felt hard done by the diverse requirements by border officials on either side of the border.
Both factors will hopefully be a thing of the past under the new system. Hundreds of Zimbabweans from mainly the northern and eastern part of Zimbabwe are passing through Forbes-Machipanda border post on a daily basis to do their shopping. The upsurge in volume of traffic passing through the border post has transformed the once sleepy border into a hive of activity. Apart from easing congestion, the initiative might be the tonic that is needed to stimulate the Beira-corridor development initiative that has been on the cards since the 1980s.
The Forbes-Machipanda border post was selected specifically because Zimbabwe and Mozambique already had an existing Memorandum of Understanding on the Beira initiative. The border is key to the development of the corridor as it provides the entrance and exit points to and from both countries.
The Beira corridor stretching just over 200 kilometres between the eastern city of Mutare and the Mozambican port of Beira, provides the shortest route to the sea for the country as opposed to Durban in South Africa which is more than 1 500 kilometres away.
While the port at Beira can not be compared to the one in Durban in terms of development, recent injections of foreign currency for the development of the port has resulted in tremendous development in infrastructure at the port, which is destined to be one of the best on the continent.
With this in mind, the development of the Beira corridor and indeed the Forbes and Machipanda is critical for the country especially in view of the envisaged increase in traffic between the two countries once the port is fully capacitated.
The border post and the corridor are also important in as far as the country's Look East policy is concerned since it provides a more direct route for goods coming from China to Zimbabwe. Already some goods such as fertiliser, machinery and spares from China are coming into the country via the port of Beira. If properly capacitated the port could also act as a cheaper option for the shipment of reconditioned cars from countries such as Japan, which are a hit with locals.
The advantages of the establishment of the one-stop border post clearly outweighs the negatives of the initiative.
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