Beit Bridge
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Beit Bridge is a border post and bridge spanning the Limpopo River, which forms the political border between South Africa and Zimbabwe.The larger town on the Zimbabwean side is also called Beitbridge. The bridge itself known as Beit Bridge and is named after Alfred Beit, founder of the De Beers diamond mining company and business associate of Cecil Rhodes. He was also a director of a number of companies, among them the British South Africa British Company and Rhodesia Railways. It is not clear what role Beit placed on the construction of the original bridge. The original bridge was built in 1929. A new bridge was built in 1995.
[edit] Road and rail communications
On the South African side of the border the N1 National Highway connects this border post to the main economic centres of Pretoria (463 km) and Johannesburg (521 km). The closest town is Musina (16 km).
On the Zimbabwean side of the border post the road splits in two, with the A6 to Bulawayo and the A4 to Masvingo. A railroad also passes through this border post side by side with the road.
24 November 1995, marked the official opening of the new Beit Bridge. It was built by the Zimbabwean Government, who now benefit from the tolls levied thereon. The new bridge can accommodate much greater trans border traffic. Of late the new bridge has proved to be to narrow due to the increased inflow of traffic passing along this border post. The Beit Bridge border post is the busiest road border post in South Africa and is among the busiest in the world due to travellers between South Africa and Zimbabwe, the majority who are Zimbabweans.
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