The town council of Kasumbalesa in the south east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has informed transporters that effective Monday, 9 December, a $30 surcharge will be levied on all flammable material carried by truck or stored in the border town.
The news is yet another setback for road hauliers operating on the north-south line into the DRC’s copper belt.
I’s notorious for congestion and corruption as truck drivers are regularly expected to pay bribes if they want to move faster and the announcement by Andre Kapampa Kamwanya, the mayor of Kasumbalesa, has already attracted widespread criticism.
One reliable source who previously told FTW Online of the high cost of levy-related fees in the DRC compared to Zambia, said the announcement was “ridiculous”.
At a time when Africa is readying itself to become a common market through improved trade facilitation and the eradication of barriers to business, the new ‘tariff’ is viewed dimly by industry who complain about the cost of doing business in the DRC, one of the continent’s most extortion-riven countries.
