Beitbridge Border handled over 600,000 travellers during festive season

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A total of 645,590 travellers passed through the Beitbridge Border Post during the recently concluded 2024 festive season, highlighting the surge in cross-border movement during the holiday period, according to South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA).

The BMA reported a significant increase in traveller numbers across all ports of entry compared to the previous year, with Beitbridge and OR Tambo International Airport experiencing the highest volumes of traffic.

Beitbridge: A Key Transit Point

Beitbridge, South Africa’s busiest inland border crossing, typically records an average of 15,000 daily crossings during off-peak periods. However, this number surged to nearly three times the usual volume as travellers from Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Angola, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo made their way across the border for the festive season.

Overall Festive Season Travel Numbers

According to the BMA, a total of 5,084,251 travellers moved through South Africa’s 71 ports of entry over the festive season, representing an increase of 51,680 compared to the 2023/2024 festive period. Despite this rise, the figure remains below pre-pandemic levels, which saw approximately six million travellers during the same period.

OR Tambo International Airport recorded the highest number of travellers at 1,065,636, followed closely by Beitbridge with 645,590 and the Lebombo border crossing to Mozambique with 571,131.

Vehicle and Cargo Movement Statistics at Beitbridge Border

The BMA also processed an extensive number of vehicles, including 395,189 private cars, 12,974 minibus taxis, and 6,071 buses. The increased traffic at Beitbridge and other key border posts underscored the importance of efficient movement control systems to facilitate cross-border travel during peak periods.

In terms of cargo movement, 58,938 trucks were processed, with 47,891 used for exports and 11,047 for imports. Beitbridge recorded the highest number of import trucks at 5,521, while Lebombo processed the most exports at 18,544 trucks.