The Sunday News
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
THE Government should review budget allocations to Matabeleland South under the ongoing initiatives to combat the spread of Covid-19 considering the province’s high involvement in handling returnees from Botswana and South Africa.
In addition, security must be beefed along the borders and those charged with manning the border stretches must be well remunerated and capacitated.
This was said by members of the joint parliamentary committees of Local Government and that of the senatorial thematic committee on Peace and Security.
The legislators embarked on a week-long tour of quarantine and isolation facilities in the country’s southern region last week.
Chairperson of the committee, Senator Chief Ngungumbane (Zama Mkwananzi) of Mberengwa said they have noted with concern most issues raised by stakeholders in Matabeleland South. He said the provincial team needs to be capacitated with resources considering their workloads in dealing with thousands of Zimbabweans who are coming in through the province.
Those returnees coming from South Africa are screened and tested at Beitbridge before being transported to their respective provinces for further quarantine. For Zimbabweans coming in from Botswana they go through similar processes at Plumtree and an estimated 6 000 people have since returned from the two countries.
“We currently have another team touring the northern region. Our area was to see compliance on construction of isolation and quarantine centres.
“We have noted that the border is quiet, but we have visited the Covid-19 centres and noted what needs to be done.
“The issue of funding is critical, the Government needs a budget specifically for Covid-19 and we need to look at Mat South as a gateway to Botswana and South Africa. It is prudent that these two border posts receive due attention in terms of national budget allocations.
“This budget should be needs based and you will note that Beitbridge and Plumtree play a critical role in the handling of the largest constituency of returnees.”
He continued; “We have received reports from the health department, the police, the local authorities, customs and immigration.
“It is clear that we have a serious burnout on our frontline workers and the Government must address staffing inadequacies urgently.”
The senator said it was also critical to upgrade security at most quarantine centres, especially in Beitbridge where authorities are battling to contain cases of absconding by returnees.
He said the Parliamentarians had also noted that morale was very low among most frontline workers who were working very hard with limited resources.
Sen Ngungumbane said the unavailability of a patrol road between Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe was making it difficult for security officials to fully patrol the areas and curb crime along the borders.
Giving oral evidence before the Parliamentary Committee, the officer commanding police in Beitbridge, Chief Superintendent Tichaona Nyongo, said they had deployed all their manpower to minimise crime across the district.
