Diversification into Zambia pays off

ZAMBIA’S FREIGHT needs are growing, and for Kempton Park-based BP Freight this year has proved to be an auspicious time to explore the market more fully. The firm’s primary route is Johannesburg to Harare, but an upswing in Zambian business activity has prompted a need for road haulage. “We tested the waters there two years ago. We used to bump off other consolidators, sending things up with them because we didn’t have enough work. This year we started in Zambia in earnest, and we are sending two to three vehicles up a week. We get a lot of overflow from the consolidators,” said Brendon Sundelowitz, who founded the firm in 1997 with Peter Loram (the B and P of the firm’s name). At least one truck goes to Lusaka and another is destined for the Copperbelt of Ndola and Kitwe every week. Business from the northern Copperbelt has been heavy since March, indicating increased activity in the mining sector. BP Freight consolidates its shipments in a 500m2 warehouse near OR Tambo International Airport, and transport firms are subcontracted to ship cargo north. “The next step is to open offices in Zambia. The first would be in Lusaka, and then another in the Copperbelt,” said Sundelowitz.