HOME Affairs Deputy Minister Steven Kapyongo has directed that Tshisenda Border Post which links Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through Chingola be reopened.

The deputy minister issued the directive in Ndola yesterday during a tour of the Copperbelt regional immigration office.

Mr Kapyongo said the border post should be reopened so that officers could move in and effectively control the passage of goods and human traffic.

This was after regional immigration officer Harrison Kabaza indicated that the closed border was encouraging illegal entry of people and that stolen vehicles were ferried through the post to the neighbouring DRC.

"Our concern is that since there are no officers to man the border post, there have been some illegal activities that have been going on without being abated," he lamented.

He explained that the border had been closed since 2008 when the situation at the crossing point became volatile but operations on the Congolese side of the border were ready to be resumed by the authorities there if Zambia could also reopen the post.

Mr Kabaza said the buildings were in a deplorable state and would need a facelift before the border was reopened in order to make them habitable.

He said there was only one officer working on a care-taker basis.

And Mr Kapyongo has warned that Government will not hesitate to dismiss workers under the ministry who lack discipline so that they do not tarnish its image.

"We are not going to maintain jobs if we cannot get the services. We will not hesitate to deal with you firmly, so I am cautioning you to do what is right," he said.