‘Big improvement in rail service’

Rail service in and out of Swaziland has improved this year according to its users, which is good news at Cross Continental Carriers, which moves 75% of its cargo via rail. “We’ve seen a real difference with rail. Our customers were upset about delays, but from late last year and especially these past few months there has been a vast improvement. Clients are not complaining, transit time is down, and a better communications system has been implemented,” said Claude Govender of Cross Continental Carriers. Located one kilometre from the Swaziland rail system’s dry port at the Matsapha Industrial Estate, the freight forwarding firm uses all modes of transport to bring industrial inputs for its manufacturing clients into the county. Lately for road freight the trend has been for cargo traffic to increasingly move in one direction. “There is a serious imbalance in road transport. We move all our breakbulk by road. Swaziland has seen a downward trend in exports. For us in the transport business, this has meant a problem turning vehicles around, said Govender. Cross Continental Carriers is Swaziland’s agent for Stuttaford Van Lines. “A lot of our work stems from our agent in South Africa,” said Govender. “We are known as the ‘go to guys’ in Swaziland.” To facilitate crossborder deliveries by road, the company is now fully registered on the South African and Swaziland sides of the Oshoek and Gollel borders for electronic customs declarations.