Collaboration halves transit time on Durban-Ndola route

Collaboration on infrastructure
development is key if southern
Africa is serious about growing
cross-border trade.
According to Remmy Makumbe,
director for
infrastructure and
services for the
Southern African
Development
Community
(SADC),
collaboration
between
countries will be
the difference
between success
or failure.
He said without a coordinated
effort between countries
rehabilitation of infrastructure such
as railways would simply not work.
“It is not just about having
infrastructure in each country,”
he said, “but about the efficient
movement of cargo through the
countries on the infrastructure.
In other words there has to be
collaboration so that there is
seamless movement of freight.”
He said this went as far as giving
customers a single through-fare
for cargo moved
on a corridor
regardless of
the number of
countries through
which it was
transiting.
“Through
collaboration
we make our
transport systems
across borders
far more efficient
– which ultimately ensures that
the region is more competitive
globally.”
Makumbe said countries could
not work in isolation and needed to
collaborate, making sure they were
on the same page.
He said through collaboration
major successes were being
achieved across the region
– particularly in the rail
sector.
While South
Africa, Zambia and
Zimbabwe had all
been investing in
rail infrastructure,
collaboration by all
three railway operators
had resulted in major
gains on the North-
South railway corridor for
example, with cargo no longer
being held up at each border post
it crossed, he added.
“A strategic and integrated
approach to infrastructure spend,
maintenance and safety has also
made an impact.”
He said freight was now moving
from South Africa’s Durban harbour
to Ndola and Kitwe in the Zambian
copperbelt in less than seven days.
This had more than halved the
transit time compared to precollaboration
days.
“This has resulted in broader
rail discussions in the region
as the success of this corridor
is recognised. We can now also
replicate what has happened on this
corridor on other corridors in the
region.”
He said this would ultimately
boost cross-border trade while
also increasing SADC’s global
competitiveness.
INSERT
There has to be
collaboration so that
there is seamless
movement of freight.
– Remmy Makumbe