Gigaba says number of people passing through Beitbridge halved

Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba says he does not blame Zimbabwean Customs for locking out South African goods from entering Zimbabwe.

Gigaba was speaking to the media at OR Tambo International Airport about the rollout of the Biometric Capture System.

He said the number of people coming into the country had not been reduced by the installation of the biometrics system and the department expected more visitors to make their way to South Africa.

Also read: Beitbridge border post shut down by protest action

But Gigaba did admit to the instability on the Zimbabwe side of the Beitbridge border post having caused a drop in the number of Zimbabweans entering the country.

He said the number of travellers had almost halved from fifteen thousand a day. He said the drop had showed in the money collected at the border post.

Gigaba said the Beitbridge port oversaw a similar number of travellers as OR Tambo International Airport.

“We cannot criticise the Zimbabwean government‚ because it’s a domestic policy issue that they have introduced.

They are trying to look after national interest [and] their economy‚” said Gigaba.

In an effort to boost its economy‚ the Zimbabwe government has imposed a restriction on certain goods from South Africa‚ which led to protests on both sides of the border last Friday.

The Biometric Capture System was aimed to ease the movement of people travelling through the country‚ Gigaba said.

Gigaba said the system would allow South Africa to better communicate with Interpol in ensuring the minimising of unwanted visitors into the country.

But Gigaba said there was no time frame he could give in terms of when BCS would be linked to Interpol’s system.