Cross-border transporters are experiencing up to three-day delays at South Africa’s Groblersbrug border with Botswana, impacted by a new biometric system implemented by the Border Management Authority (BMA) and ongoing congestion issues at Beitbridge.
According to Mike Fitzmaurice of the Transit Assistance Bureau, the BMA has introduced a biometric system requiring immigration officers to capture the biometrics of all travelers and truck drivers.
While this process takes about 15 minutes per person, only four immigration officers are on duty per shift at Groblersbrug, creating significant delays.
Additionally, pre-existing issues at Beitbridge have made it difficult for long-haul transporters serving the Copperbelt to travel directly through Zimbabwe, pushing more traffic to Groblersbrug.
The border’s infrastructure, however, is ill-equipped for the increased volume.
Unlike the efficient one-stop Kazangula Bridge border further north, Groblersbrug’s crossing over the Limpopo River remains slow and narrow, making it unsuitable for the growing trade volume.
Soon after the Kazangula Bridge opened, industry experts, including Lesley Mpofu, CEO of the Trans-Kalahari Corridor, and Fitzmaurice, noted the capacity misalignment between Kazangula and Groblersbrug.
Fitzmaurice pointed out that the same biometric system was introduced at Beitbridge a month prior, where higher staff levels accommodate the demand.
However, Groblersbrug’s limited personnel struggle to keep pace with the rising traffic. Over weekends, when civil service productivity dips, cross-border movement slows dramatically, with no traffic reported through Groblersbrug over recent weekends.
Fitzmaurice suggested that if the BMA had anticipated the impact of this change, deploying additional personnel at Groblersbrug could have eased the bottleneck.
Further complicating matters, Beitbridge continues to hamper cargo flow, with longstanding issues such as northbound scanning delays, restrictive fuel regulations, and an increased frequency in the rate of exchange (RoE) adjustments, now updated weekly rather than monthly.
This RoE change has tightened compliance deadlines, leading to even more congestion as operators wait to resolve shortfalls.
“Beitbridge has regressed,” Fitzmaurice noted, commenting on privatisation north of the border, which has somewhat improved movement at the otherwise congestion-prone crossing.
As usual, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority’s practices are frequently cited when addressing Beitbridge’s bottlenecks.
