Home Affairs monitoring Beitbridge tension
Pretoria – The home affairs department is monitoring the situation at the Beitbridge port of entry between South Africa and Zimbabwe following violent disruptions on Friday.
“Following the resolution of the standoff between South African traders in the Musina area and Zimbabweans entering South Africa we can confirm that the port of entry is operational today [Saturday] and no incidences have been reported,” the department said in a statement.
“Working together with the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) we will observe developments closely to ensure ease of travel at the port of entry.
“To this end, we wish to confirm that the violent acts that have been portrayed on social media, including the burning of buildings, took place on the Zimbabwean side and not alongside the borderline as reported,” the department said.
It was reported earlier that protesters torched a section of the border warehouse in Beitbridge on Friday as they demonstrated against the Zimbabwean government’s decision to “ban” most imports and promote locally-manufactured products.
