How the Beitbridge Border Post is Sparking Hope for Zimbabwe and South Africa

Crossing through the Beitbridge border crossing can take in excess of 30 hours (Source)

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa intends to fast track construction of the Beitbridge one-stop border post with neighboring Zimbabwe. Plans to modernize this crucial crossing were finalized eight years ago, though delays have since stalled meaningful progress. The one-stop border post (OSBP) in Beitbridge will simplify customs and immigration procedures to reduce congestion. South African Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi recently stated that the project would be completed within four years.  

The Beitbridge junction is in desperate need of reform. The border crossing is one of busiest in the proposed North-South Rail Corridor; it facilitates travel for 25,000 people and 500 commercials vehicles destined for South Africa and Zimbabwe, as well as other African nations, each day. The Beitbridge Border Post is plagued with several challenges that hinder economic growth. A study determined that transit times for northbound and southbound freight travel average around 34 and 12 hours respectively. Queue management is disrupted by rampant corruption and inefficient design. A report from the Brenthurst Foundation found that producers should expect to wait up to six days to cross into South Africa unless they pay hefty bribes. To enter Zimbabwe, exporters must progress through a complex, 19-step process that takes hours. Difficulties are further compounded since there is presently no data exchange program between South African and Zimbabwean customs officials. There are limited checks on crossings by foot, and small-scale smuggling is known to be rampant.

The proposed OSBP will modernize the Beitbridge crossing. The project will centralize all customs processes into a single facility on each side of the border. It will create designated traffic lanes for commercial and private use as well as a pedestrian crossway. OSBPs have already proven successful. In 2009, Zimbabwe and neighboring Zambia established an OSBP in Chirundu, a town along the Zambezi River. A report concluded that the average wait time for heavy commercial vehicles to cross the border subsequently declined from 72 hours to 3 hours. Zambia and Zimbabwe also share border control infrastructure, which has decreased costs and strengthened bilateral relations. 

The World Trade Organization has argued that the Beitbridge OSBP project will reduce the transactional costs of trade, congestion at the border crossing, and enhance operational efficiency. The WTO has thus lauded the decision of the Southern African Development Community, of which South Africa and Zimbabwe are members, to sponsor the project and increase economic integration. 

The creation of an OSBP in Beitbridge is of importance to Zimbabwe, which has suffered from financial instability for years. Following the removal of Robert Mugabe in 2017, President Emmerson Mnangwaga has sought to reintegrate his nation with the global economy. Government figures reflect the dire state of affairs at home; per capita income and manufacturing have contracted, unemployment is high, and shortages of electricity and foreign currency are widespread. The International Monetary Fund estimates that Zimbabwe has the world’s second largest informal economy with respect to GDP. 

The likelihood of international support for the OSBP appears bleak. The European Union and the United States have refused to lift economic sanctions levied on Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF political leaders since 2001. Even China, which has maintained close ties with Harare since Mugabe’s rule, has shunned providing more loans until Zimbabwe’s economy stabilizes. The Beitbridge OSBP thus provides Mnangwaga a valuable opportunity. Improvements in the border crossing will reduce travel time and costs for Zimbabwean businesses, incentivizing an increase in exports. Additional security checks will crack down on petty smuggling, which has deprived the government of valuable tax revenue. The OSBP will also reinforce relations with a powerful neighbor in the face of international skepticism. 

There are benefits for South Africa as well. President Cyril Ramaphosa assumed office following the resignation of Jacob Zuma due to corruption allegations. Ramaphosa has presented himself as ruler who can overcome cronyism and tackle extreme economic inequality. The Beitbridge OSBP will cement South Africa’s role as a dominant force in integrating continental trade. It will also spur economic expansion in a nation that faces sluggish growth and high unemployment, which has cast over it the shadow of potential austerity in the near future. The project will also prepare for future endeavors. South Africa is currently planning additional OSBPs on its border with Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Mozambique. 

There is great hope that this border modernization can restore both official economic flow and international respect to the economies of the struggling nations. It is a textbook example of nations often cast as “hopeless” in the Western imagination taking fate into their own hands and proving their commitment to economic self-determination.