‘Buying into bribery promotes abuse’

Bribery at border posts is a way of life. There are always people in the supply chain who will encourage expeditious handing of shipments or trucks for a favour, says Alwyn Nel, managing director of Kingfisher Freight. “We do not condone this process but the fact is there will always be those who seek to enrich themselves for their own benefit at the expense of others,” says Nel. Kingfisher uses all the major border posts in southern Afric. Beitbridge and Komatipoort are the busiest for exports and imports to and from South Africa, says Nel. “Beitbridge carries high volumes of traffic for destinations north of South Africa and there is a lot of congestion and slow release of cargo. Although the problems are generally caused on the Zimbabwean side, the release and flow of traffic from Musina are also negatively affected.” Implementation of new systems on the Mozambique side of the Komatipoort border is also causing congestion and delays, he says. “Huge volumes of bulk minerals, which are transported to the port of Maputo, contribute to the challenges.” Chirundu, the major gateway into Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), also presents major congestion problems due to limited space, clearance issues and the management of the new customs clearing system implemented recently by the Zambian Revenue Authority (ZRA). “We address these challenges by working well with the various stakeholders and ensuring we have the infrastructure and resources when difficulties arise at the borders. Having experienced and competent staff at the border posts also makes a difference,” says Nel. CAPTION Chirundu border post is the major gateway into Zambia and the DRC and is heavily congested. INSERT Biggest challenges at border posts • Slow work output • Inconsistency in decision-making • Downtime due to failure of customs operating systems • Implementation of new policies with a lack of adequate forethought • Lack of a sustainable power supply • Adverse weather conditions which shut posts down for days • Congestion