“Zim To Open Borders For Passenger Traffic Soon”: Mthuli Ncube
21 March 2021
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Finance Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube has said plans are afoot for Zimbabwe to open its borders to passenger traffic “very soon” after they were closed to curb the transmission of the coronavirus.

The closure of borders resulted in the country losing n potential revenue from import duties. It also worsened the plight of the general populace especially those who are into cross-border trading.

Speaking on the reopening of borders during a tour of the Plumtree Border Post Saturday, Ncube said:

We are informed that when you tighten screws here, people cross into Botswana using other illegal entry points. As Government we are concerned and we are going to equip you.

We have authorised the purchasing of drones to reduce smuggling and illegal migration. Very soon we are going to open up borders for passenger traffic and we expect the borders to be having a lot of pressure and we will see how best we give you support.

He also indicated that Zimbabwe was expecting more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from China next week to bring the total received vaccines to one million.

Zimbabwe has to date received over 600 000 doses of SinoPharm vaccines and has now entered the second phase of inoculation with the aim of dosing at least 10 million people to achieve community immunity.

He added:

We are importing more vaccines next week which will bring the total to one million doses. It’s important that we get vaccinated. I have been vaccinated and I urge people to do the same.

The immigration department and the Zimra employees should get the vaccine because it is important to do so considering the nature of their job.

Zimbabwe experienced a resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic in the last quarter of 2020 and the government was blamed for reopening the borders as most of the cases recorded since then were of those coming into the country.-statemedia