Long-haul
road
freight
in
Zimbabwe
continues
to
be
flagged
for
the
same
recurring
issues
–
100%
scanning
of
cargo
crossing
borders
like
Beitbridge,
the
lack
of
infrastructural
capacity
to
implement
rigid
anti-smuggling
efforts,
and
the
ultimate
cost
passed
on
to
industry.
And
the
more
these
non-tariff
barriers
(NTBs)
are
escalated
to
the
relevant
authorities,
especially
the
Zimbabwean
Revenue
Authority
(Zimra)
and
the
Office
of
the
Presidency,
the
more
they
seem
to
be
ignored.
At
least
that’s
according
to
Mike
Fitzmaurice,
chief
executive
officer
of
the
Transit
Assistance
Bureau.
He
said
over
the
Easter
weekend
a
transporter
was
stopped
outside
Harare
on
Good
Friday,
April
3,
and
referred
to
‘Back
Storage’,
the
facility
used
by
Zimra
to
refer
trucks
intended
for
anti-smuggling
inspection.
When
the
truck
got
there
the
driver
was
told
that
the
staff
required
to
do
the
necessary
inspection
were
not
available,
due
to
the
long
weekend.
To
make
a
long
story
short
–
the
truck
and
its
cargo
were
delayed
until
Tuesday
when
the
driver
finally
left
Back
Storage
to
complete
his
delivery.
And
the
cost
to
industry?
Roughly
US$550
per
day,
said
Fitzmaurice,
who
also
serves
as
sub-Saharan
vice-president
for
the Union
Africaine
des
Organisations
des
Transports
et
de
la
Logistique.
Asked
what
the
driver
had
to
do,
he
said
it
was
anyone’s
guess
but,
considering
that
the
transporter
in
question
was
a
regular
operator
in
Zimbabwe,
he
was
probably
a
local
and
had
somewhere
to
stay
until
April
7.
Being
a
‘regular
operator’
is
at
the
centre
of
Fitzmaurice’s
frustration.
“This
shouldn’t
have
happened
in
the
first
place.
If
intelligence
gathered
by
Zimra
was
shared
with
the
anti-smuggling
Task
Teams
they
would’ve
seen
that
the
truck
in
question
belongs
to
a
complying
operator
and
there
was
no
need
for
involving
this
company
in
random
checking.
“The
problem
is
that
the
two
don’t
talk
to
one
another.
The
Task
Teams
fall
under
The
Presidency
and
all
they
want
to
do
is
fill
their
daily
quota.
So,
they
pull
over
whoever
they
want
to.”
It’s
not
the
first
time
that
Fitzmaurice
has
made
a
case
for
post-audit
clearance
efficiencies,
where
cargo
clearing
by
law-abiding
operators
can
be
a
fit-for-purpose
solution
against
smuggling.
But
that
would
be
in
a
perfect
world.
In
a
perfect
world,
the
country’s
Beitbridge
border
with
South
Africa
could
also
be
better
run,
Fitzmaurice
said.
The
infrastructural
upgrade
of
a
few
years
ago,
estimated
at
between
US$160m
and
$172m,
was
supposed
to
have
driven
down
waiting
time
at
the
border
to
about
three
hours
max.
“That
was
the
mandate
on
which
the
$200
border
access
fee
was
marketed
on.
That
was
initially,
but
everything
gets
scanned
for
smuggling
and
eventually
referred
to
ConDep
(Container
Depot),”
Fitzmaurice
said.
Problem
is,
Beitbridge
doesn’t
have
the
physical
capacity
for
flagging
all
incoming
trucks.
“They
have
12
inspection
bays
at
the
border
itself
and
another
four
at
ConDep.
With
100%
scanning
and
staffing
often
being
an
issue,
traffic
frequently
builds
up
and
cost
is
eventually
borne
by
operators,”
Fitzmaurice
said.
He
explained
that
if
Beitbridge
wasn’t
such
a
waiting
worry
for
industry,
operators
would
gladly
pay
the
$200
in
concessionary
costs.
“But
transporters
don’t
want
to
use
the
border
because
what
should’ve
been
a
dream
crossing
has
become
another
NTB
transit
where
delays
can
last
for
a
day
or
more.”
As
a
result
of
all
the
issues
in
Zim,
back-haul
trips
from
the
Copperbelt
in
Zambia
and
the
Democratic
Republic
of
the
Congo
are
now
also
rather
heading
for
the
Kazungula
border
into
Botswana.
It
used
to
be
that
Copperbelt
traffic
would
take
the
Botswana
bypass
going
north
and
make
a
beeline
through
Zim
heading
back
south,
“but
not
any
more,”
said
Fitzmaurice.
“Now
they
all
head
to
Kazungula
and
Groblersbrug,”
South
Africa’s
N11
border
with
Botswana.
“It’s
unfortunate
because
it
doesn’t
have
to
be
like
this.
Trucks
transiting
through
Zimbabwe
could
be
a
serious
revenue
generator
for
Zim
but
then
they
need
to
create
an
environment
that’s
conducive
for
trade,”
Fitzmaurice
said.
Source:
Exposed
(again)
–
Zimbabwe’s
NTB
waiting
game
|
Freight
News