As traffic shifts away from Beitbridge and new one-stop border posts and data-sharing systems roll out across the region, Zimbabwe is at the centre of a corridor rethink that could either cement its role as a transit hub or see it sidelined by neighbours who move faster on reform. According to transport consultant Lovemore Bingandadi, the region is entering a phase where efficiency not just infrastructure will determine which countries benefit from rising trade flows. The hard infrastructure is, for the most part, already in place, he says. What we lack are harmonised systems, legal frameworks and digital processes that allow corridors to operate as integrated networks rather than disconnected national assets. He said that while the North South Corridor remained southern Africas key route, carrying over 60 of regional traffic, the move by Angola, Mozambique and Namibia to draw more freight onto their corridors was gaining traction. Beitbridge has been an ongoing concern for the freight and logistics sector, with congestion at the border post on both the South African and Zimbabwean sides often causing days- long delays for transporters waiting to clear. Efforts are under way to improve efficiency at Beitbridge, he told Freight News. Zimbabwe has already completed construction of the physical infrastructure on its side for a one-stop border post with South Africa, and digital connectivity for border operations between Beitbridge on both sides is ongoing. Zimbabwe has finished the hard infrastructure on its side and has put in place systems for coordinated border management for its border agencies. But this will not deliver reduced delays until South Africa replicates what Zimbabwe has done. The current challenge is limited capacity on the South African side. The buildings cannot house Zimbabwean officials, which is a requirement of OSBP operations. A second bridge upstream from the existing bridge is also needed so that northbound traffic bypasses South Africa and is processed on the Zimbabwean side, while southbound traffic bypasses Zimbabwe and is processed in South Africa. At present, there are no access roads, parking or buildings on the South African side to accommodate Zimbabwean officials. Until South Africa constructs, expands and retrofits its existing facilities, the efficiencies expected at Beitbridge will not materialise. Once this work is completed, which should not take more than two or three years, Beitbridge should leapfrog. Human skills and capacity will also be required, with personnel on both sides needing training to integrate the new systems, said Bingandadi. He said the country was, however, not focused on just one entry point. At the Forbes Machipanda border post between Zimbabwe and Mozambique, developments are also under way. I am not reading this in newspapers I can see the queues at Forbes on the Zimbabwean side, and on the Mozambican side, it is even worse when I drive there. Once Forbes becomes an OSBP, and with Zimbabwe constructing a bypass around Mutare, we are going to see cargo flow far more smoothly. Zimbabwe has already released a tender for the facilities construction. LV
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