An assessment by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has it Beitbridge, the lone South African port of entry with Zimbabwe, is currently handling an impressive average of over 300 trucks a day well in line with the regional bloc’s trade facilitation agreement promoting efficient trade practices.
The assessment comes in the wake of what is termed “a detailed study visit” by SADC Secretariat representatives on 24 and 25 July. Listed among the visit’s objectives were implementation of the co-ordinated border management (CBM) concept, progress on implementation of the one-stop border post (OSBP) concept and transit procedure efficiency. It further included evaluation of time required for release of goods and the state of ICT (information and communication technology) connectivity at the border and with neighbouring Zimbabwe.
The SADC team, a statement reads in part, observed a strategic reduction in the number of border agencies operating at Beitbridge. This fits with South Africa “currently implementing [its] Border Management Authority (BMA)”. The authority comprises immigration, agriculture, law enforcement and port health. “BMA is an advanced stage of CBM concept and was established in South Africa in 2020 starting operations in 2023.” The BMA has co-ordination mechanisms with SA Revenue Service (SARS), SA Police Service (SAPS) and SA National Defence Force (SANDF). Implementation protocols are also in place to for BMA to work with other stakeholder including Cross-Border Road Transport Agency (CBRTA) and the SA national Department of Transport (DOT).
“The number of border agencies were therefore streamlined through the BMA,” the statement notes.
Beitbridge is “currently benefiting from some renovation to be more effective and efficient for facilitating trade and eventually implementing other trade facilitation concepts in line with the SADC regional integration agenda”.
Progress to date on trade facilitation at Beitbridge led the SADC delegation to “consider implementation of the OSBP concept expeditiously” as one leg of improving ease of doing business and increasing intra-SADC trade.
