MILLICENT HUNGWE
BEITBRIDGE- Beitbridge Border Post’s digitalisation drive has seen the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA)’s 5 warehouses being filled to capacity with various confiscated goods seized from smugglers.
Apart from filling its warehouses the revenue authority is also renting an additional 4 warehouses as tight security and screening measures introduced by the tax man bear fruits.
This was revealed during a ZIMRA/UNDP Tax Education journalist tour held recently.
The initiatives of using mobile scanners, baggage scanners, drone technology and canine units has seen the once porous border reducing smuggling cases at the busy port of entry.
During the tour journalists were taken to the drone control room, were operators can easily communicate with a reaction team on the ground in alerting of any suspicious smuggling activity
ZIMRA regional manager, Lonto Ndlovu told The Midweek Watch that the Beitbridge Border Post modernization has resulted in maintaining order, resulting in more revenue for the country while gaining control of the border activities.
“If buses or any vehicles pass with prohibited goods, they will be taking their own risk, Beitbridge Border system is now tight.
“This is proven by how our 9 storage facilities are now full with impounded goods,” said Ndlovu.
ZIMRA shift manager, Mbuso Moyo added that canine units detect drugs, making it easy and fast in checking of vehicles.
He also said they have introduced an electronic cargo tracking system on haulage trucks that monitors trucks in transit from the time they enter the country to the point they exit as a measure to curb transit fraud
Beitbridge border post upgrade is a sign of government’s commitment in seeing the country achieving an upper middle income economy by 2030 and has a vision of becoming the Southern African Development Community (SADC) transport hub.
