President Cyril Ramaphosa was joined by Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday when the pair toured Zimbabwe's new customs office at the Beitbridge border.

Speaking during a press briefing at the Beitbridge border post on Thursday, 5 October, President Cyril Ramaphosa said improved border infrastructure would help the economies of both South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Ramaphosa and his Zimbabwean counterpart, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, toured a new building to process travellers and vehicles moving between the two countries on the Zimbabwean side of the border while also touring South Africa's significantly older facility.

"It's a pleasure for me to receive President Mnangagwa on the South African side. We are here on an inspection, border inspection. Our two borders receive so many visitors. At times, I'm told sometimes they receive up to 18-20,000 people a day.

"So we want to ensure that our two border posts function well to enhance ease of movement of our people, ease of movement of goods so that the trade between two countries can improve," Ramaphosa said.

The meeting of the two leaders started on the South African side of the border where Ramaphosa received Mnangagwa. Flanked by heavily armed police and soldiers, they spent a few minutes at the customs section before their convoys took them to Zimbabwe.

It was clean, calm and relatively quiet on both sides of the...