The US$300 million Beitbridge Border Post upgrade is taking shape, with the freight terminal expected to be up and running by the end of September 2021. The freight terminal will constitute phase one of the border upgrade and will be used predominantly by commercial vehicles crossing into and out of Zimbabwe.

Acting Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) Commissioner General, Mr Rameck Masaire, joined the Minister of Finance – Honourable Mthuli Ncube on 26 February 2021 on a tour to assess progress made so far in upgrading Africa’s busiest border post. The touring party was made up of the Resident Minister for Matabeleland South, Honourable Abednico Ncube, members of the Immigration Department, Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) and other government partners and stakeholders.

During the tour, the team was taken to various sites, where excavations have already been done. In some areas, foundations have already been laid, while other buildings are at various levels of development. It is expected that the whole border upgrade should be done by the fourth quarter of 2022.

Speaking during the tour, Honourable Mthuli Ncube applauded the government for sinking in such a huge investment in Beitbridge, which is expected to transform not only the lives of cross border travellers, but also the general outlook of the border town of Beitbridge. He also expressed his appreciation of the progress made so far with regards to the project, saying this was a welcome move which shows the contractor’s commitment to a successful public-private partnership between the Zimbabwe government and the contractor – ZimBorders.

Once the project has been completed, it is expected to improve the county’s rating on the ease of doing business, since there would be orderly movement of both cargo and vehicular traffic at the border post.