Lower rates challenge Johannesburg route, writes Martine Rushmere
BEIRA USERS and shippers in Zimbabwe are squaring up to battle it out with the Johannesburg route, which has taken away a big chunk of Zimbabwe's exports through Mozambique.
A series of strategic meetings have been held in Harare and Beira and the word is that rates from next year will again be lower than those to Johannesburg.
We have had to contend with the fact that the South African rates have been just about the same for some time, says Dave Sly of Unifeeder. But shippers and users have sorted themselves out and from next year it will be a different story.
The big test of the value of Beira is Zimbabwe's all important commodity, tobacco, which this year has totalled 230 000 tonnes. The balance has been about 75% to 25% tilted in favour of Johannesburg.
Ideally we are aiming for a 55-45 split, says Sly.
Also ideal is the eventual privatisation of CFM Central through to Zimbabwe so that a seamless service can be offered through to Harare.
Once the first prize of privatisation comes about, there will be probably be substantial investment. Japanese consultants have drawn up a plan for a tunnel from Machipanda to Feruka near Mutare, a distance of 20km, which would go straight through the mountains dividing the two border towns.
While this could be a couple of years yet, the route is keeping pace with technology today. Cornelder, which has the franchise to run Beira, and National Railways of Zimbabwe, are installing computerised satellite tracking so that not only will the exact location of trains be monitored but also individual boxes.
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