FORBES Border Post in Mutare has overtaken Beitbridge as Zimbabwe’s busiest commercial gateway, with a surge in freight traffic causing congestion and operational headaches for border authorities.
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) said the spike was being driven by a boom in mineral exports and increased importation of farming inputs ahead of the rainy season.
Traffic flow is further constrained by a narrow bridge linking Zimbabwe and Mozambique, which allows one truck at a time, creating long queues and resulting in delays.
Zimra spokesperson Gladman Njanji told NewsDay that the mining boom — particularly exports of lithium, chrome and other minerals — had pushed up truck volumes at Forbes.
“There has been a boom in the mining industry locally, leading to increased exports of lithium, chrome and other minerals, which has resulted in increased volumes of traffic at some of our border posts, including Forbes,” he said.
He added that the farming season had also led to increased imports of fertiliser and other inputs, both for local use and in transit.
Forbes Border Post handles an average of 1 100 trucks daily, far beyond what its infrastructure was built to cater for.
“The Forbes Border Post infrastructure was not designed to handle the current large volumes in traffic especially commercial traffic as there is hardly any parking space for commercial trucks since the border was meant for tourist facilitation,” Njanji said.
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The refurbished road from Harare to Mutare has made the route more attractive to transporters, further pushing up traffic volumes at Forbes.
Zimra is battling staff shortages caused by the 24-hour border operations introduced on January 15, 2024.
“The 24-hour operation that started on January 15, 2024, resulted in the need for additional staff members to complement the 4 shifts that are required,” Njanji said.
To ease the pressure, Zimra is pursuing automation of some processes to improve turnaround times.
It is also working with Mozambican authorities on joint facilitation measures to improve truck movement.
“Zimra has increased staffing levels at the Forbes Border Post and is on standby to send more staff there as and when the need arises,” Njanji said.
Long-term relief is expected from an ongoing modernisation project at Forbes and the planned establishment of a one-stop border post on the Mozambican side.
“We await completion, which will have a huge impact on service delivery and turnaround times,” Njanji said.
In his 2026 National Budget, Finance minister Mthuli Ncube allocated ZiG738 million to capacitate border management agencies. Of this amount, ZiG322,4 million will go towards the upgrading of border posts, while ZiG200 million has been set aside for automation.
Ncube said the modernisation of Beitbridge Border Post had resulted in improved movement of traffic and effective border management.
“Going forward, government seeks to modernise the remaining border posts, beginning with Chirundu and Forbes border posts. The financial closure for Chirundu Border Post is expected during the first quarter of 2026, paving way for commencement of works,” he said.
