Harare - Beitbridge, Zimbabwe’s largest border post and gateway to South Africa, was under siege on Friday as thousands of citizens on both sides of the border blocked the border post in protest against the Zimbabwean ban on the import from South Africa of basic commodities.
The ban has sparked unprecedented rage. The plan on the South African side was to blockade the border and turn back all trucks and other vehicles carrying goods from Zimbabwe.
An enraged mob torched the Zimbabwe Revenue Association warehouse which holds confiscated goods, as well as a large parastatal grocery distribution. Shops in Musina were forced to close as South Africans threatened to burn any shop that remained open, and said they would seal off the border. There were even calls on the South African side to burn one Zimbabwean in order to force the Zimbabwean Government to reverse the ban.
On Friday no vehicles with Zimbabwe registration were allowed across the South African border, and Beitbridge authorities were refusing to stamp the passports of Zimbwean citizens who wanted to join the South African protesters.
Reports from the border say commercial cargo has been stuck at Beitbridge border post for the past seven days as importers struggled to get permits to transport their goods. Several trucks were stuck on the South African side as the Zimbabwe side had no adequate space to accommodate them. Under normal circumstances, the trucks would have proceeded on to Zimbabwe.
In mid-June, the Zimbabwean government gazetted stringent regulations meant to control the importation of goods that were available locally under Statutory Instrument 64 of 2016.
The regulations target informal traders and travellers, which rely on this trade for their survival under dire economic conditions. Importing foodstuffs from South Africa is the only source of income for many Zimbabweans as the government has failed to revive local industry or to provide jobs.
Foreign Bureau