INCOMING traffic has increased at Beitbridge border post where the Customs and Excise department currently appears overwhelmed by applications for Temporary Import Permits (TIP) of foreign registered cars used by the bulk of arrivals from South Africa.
Although other departments appeared on top of the situation and were comfortable with the increased pressure, a long queue of motorists meandered from the Customs and Excise desk handling TIP processing.
"It's taking too long, our children are getting restless. In this computer age some things should just be by the click of a button," said a motorist driving from Johannesburg to Harare.
He, just like dozens of other motorists in the queue, had not made the recommended online application for the facility.
The Customs and Excise department encourages motorists to apply for TIP online to avoid situations where at times the network is congested for the e-TIP.
South Africa, in a media alert, announced congestion on several of its major roads with the one leading to Zimbabwe topping the northern region of that country's list.
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"Traffic volumes are expected to increase significantly on major routes and business districts across Limpopo today. These include the N1 and R101 northbound towards Polokwane and from Polokwane to Beitbridge Border Post in Musina," SA's Transport Department announced.
"Traffic law enforcement officers are deployed on all these routes and other critical points to monitor the situation and manage congestions. Motorists are therefore urged to drive with caution and obey all the rules of the road, maintain a safe following distance, and not overload passengers and goods.”
Meanwhile, long queues of last minute shoppers were also seen on the SA side of the border with many among them taking advantage of the Unity Day holiday to do festive shopping.