‘Auction’ system pushes up Zimbabwe volumes

JOY ORLEK THE VOLATILE overborder market is clearly on an up-trend at the moment for specialist forwarder and broker BP Freight. After a slow start to the year, the past two months have seen volumes climbing, particularly to Malawi and Zambia, with Zimbabwe also showing signs of an upswing, says operations director Brendon Sundelowitz. An easing of forex availability, through the recently introduced auction system, has seen the Zimbabwe market pumping for the East Rand-based company. A specialist in overborder haulage into sub-Saharan Africa, BP has found several lucrative niches in markets often not served by bigger players. “At the moment we’re looking at a consolidation service to Beira and in the not too distant future Lubumbashi in the DRC as well,” Sundelowitz told FTW. “This aligns perfectly with our niche market strategy.” The company is also planning to open sales offices in Harare and Lusaka and an office on the Zimbabwe side of Beit Bridge border in the next three months. Sundelowitz has positive feedback on Beit Bridge border delays which were particularly troublesome three months ago. “The building of a truck park on the Zimbabwe side and the concession allowing trucks parked on the SA side of the border to be cleared before crossing has done a lot to relieve cross-border delays,” says Sundelowitz. Expansion of BP’s East Rand premises, which include warehousing facilities, is also on the cards.