Truckers have called for urgent action from the likes of SADC and Comesa to address serious security issues in the Munhava area of Mozambique’s Beira port. The troubling situation has prompted the Federation of East and Southern African Road Transport Associations (Fesarta) to issue a non-tariff barrier (NTB) complaint in what has been described as an “extremely” high crime area. According to industry sources, drivers are harassed by third parties when they enter and depart the port with reports of muggings, violence, random shootings and allegations of ineffective policing in the region. And while transporters have tried to address this with the Mozambican port authority, CFM, as well as the police and government, they say they have had no real success. Mark Pretorius, general manager at Zambulk Tankers, says the road is in a poor condition and is congested so drivers inevitably have to slow down. “The criminal elements gather in this area and stop the vehicles by engaging the rear axle brake on the fuel tankers or by jumping onto the vehicle itself.” He says they then demand money from the driver and if none is forthcoming, he is dragged from the vehicle and beaten. The driver is then thrown under the truck while the interior is raided for personal items such as money, radios, tools etc. “If the drivers have to stay at the port overnight they are further harassed and if a driver leaves a vehicle to submit documents, often the would-be thieves enter the vehicle using duplicate keys,” comments Pretorius. “One of our truck drivers was mugged at Beira recently and lost his cell phone with around R2 500 taken off him. He was not injured but one of the drivers who came to his aid was beaten,” FTW was told anonymously by a national trucking company that has offices in Mozambique. Executive director of Fesarta, Barney Curtis, says in the NTB submission (NTB 606) that drivers travelling along this road need armed guards. The NTB complaint also states that foreign transporters are predominantly targeted for these attacks. “The Beira Port Terminal is growing – from dry cargo through to coal and petro chemicals. It is a key regional point and needs urgent attention to the secure, free flow of traffic,” says Pretorius. He notes that there are two access roads to Beira port, one through the town for non-commercial vehicles and the other via Munhava for all commercial vehicles. And unfortunately, adds Pretorius, all efforts to address this with the police, the port authorities, the Sofala province governor and the transport department of Sofala have proven largely unsuccessful. He concedes that there has been a heightened armed presence in the area but adds that it may be a “knee-jerk reaction to a lasting problem”. Local Mozambique transporter, Ernani Silva, expressed hope that the NTB would bear fruit as all other attempts by local transport associations to raise the issue with government have not yielded results. “I call it a city shame because Beira’s livelihood revolves around the port and the city has failed to resolve this issue for over a decade.” Another local transporter alleged that the police were aware of the issue and took advantage of the situation by collecting fees to turn a blind eye. “Both the CFM and the police know who these criminals are, where they stay, how they act but simply do nothing,” he said. CAPTION This photo was taken at the junction of the main Beira road and Munhava road. As the vehicle turned the corner away from Munhava, the guard cleared his weapon and relaxed, an indication that he was out of the ‘danger’ area. Photo: Mark Pretorius
