Zimbabwe and South Africa border authorities have started implementing integrated plans to be able to seamlessly deal with the festive season traffic that has already started building up on both sides of the border.

The regional immigration officer in charge of Southern Regional (Beitbridge, Masvingo and Sango), Mr Joshua Chibundu said there is a notable surge in traffic, adding that they are ready for the peak period.

During the off-peak period, boarder authorities clear about 13 000 travellers, 1000 commercial trucks, 120 buses, and 2000 light cars every day.

The number increases threefold during major holidays.

"We have realised an increase in volumes of travellers and we applaud the Government for installing the online border management system which has enabled us to timeously facilitate entries and exits of travellers," said Mr Chibundu.

"We appeal to travellers to avoid deals with touts who usually try to take advantage of the increased traffic to dupe travellers of their hard-earned money. The Department of Immigration does not require the services of agents, hence every traveller should present himself or herself for clearance.

"If there are challenges, please request to see the supervisors who are readily available for assistance. We also urge parents to ensure that their children are accompanied by reliable relatives as opposed to giving them to bus crews," he said.

South Africa's Commissioner of the Border Management Authority (BMA), Dr Michael Masiapato said they have noted a significant increase in traveller movements across all ports of entry as the peak holiday season approaches.

"We are aware of the increased traveller volumes, which are normally experienced around this time. We are working closely with all stakeholders to manage operations efficiently and reduce waiting times," he said.

"Our teams on the ground are working tirelessly to manage the flow of people and to ensure that everyone is assisted as quickly as possible."