Border post improves – but Beitbridge delays continue

Thanks to improvements at Zimbabwe’s border post with SA, two days’ transit time have been trimmed from road freight travel between countries, one company offering consolidation service to Harare has found. The bad news is that trucks still queue for up to five days. “The border post at Beitbridge is becoming computerised. Operations are quite improved. But it still takes time. Last year our trucks waited seven days in a queue. That’s been cut down to five days,” said Peter Loram, manager director at BP Freight. The firm consolidates shipments at its secure warehouse in Kempton Park for transport to its office in Harare, where cargo is offloaded and then distributed by BP Logistics in Harare. ‘Border waiting time cut from seven days to five.’ The company also offers a consolidation service to Bulawayo, Zambia, Botswana, Malawi and Mozambique. However, Harare is its main port of call. Like other road freight firms using the Jo’burg to Harare route, Loram finds the volume of consolidated shipments is consistent with last year, but also on the brink of rising. “Our consolidations consist of just about anything, because Zimbabwe imports a lot. Hazardous chemicals, transit cargo, and general goods. Our costs have gone up but not as much as inflation – fuel is up by at least a rand from last year – so we remain competitive on a competitive route and in a competitive industry,” Loram said. Consolidators on the Zim route have two key needs to be met: “Consistent and regular service and feedback. By feedback I mean they need to know where their consignment is. On a daily basis we send them notification by e-mail. Customers appreciate the notification,” said Loram.