Drivers targeted in border shootings

21 Feb 2014 - by Adele Mackenzie

Corruption and inefficiency
is the root cause of the recent
truck driver shootings at
the Kasumbalesa border
post from Zambia into the
Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC) – a key road freight
border post on the Copperbelt
– FTW has learnt. News
reports from Zambia claim
that the Zimbabwean truck
driver slain early this month
is the latest victim of at least
five reported shootings since
December 2013.
Four main trucker trade
associations, including the
Truckers Association of
Zambia and the Copperbelt
Open Truckers Association,
have threatened to stop
transporting freight in the
DRC unless the security of
the drivers, crew, vehicles
and consignments can be
guaranteed, reports the
Zambian Daily Mail.
“According to information
on the ground, an earlier
incident where a Zambian
truck driver was killed on
January 29 this year occurred
in the DRC, with the driver
en-route to Zambia. An
unsubstantiated report alleges
that a government security
officer asked for some money
to facilitate the movement of
the truck. The proceedings
ended in a scuffle that led to the
death of the Zambian driver,”
said Mark Pearson, programme
director at TradeMark
Southern Africa. The latest
incident – where a Zimbabwean
driver driving a South African
truck lost his life – is still being
investigated, said Pearson. He
noted that the driver was found
dead in the cabin of his horse,
parked on the Zambian side of
the border, awaiting clearance.
“Based on the information
we’ve received, drivers have
always been bribed at this
point and it now seems they are
being targeted if they refuse
to pay,” said Steve Oosthuizen,
divisional director of Vehicle
Delivery Services. A Zambianbased
trucking company
owner, who wishes to remain
anonymous, told FTW that
the corruption, violence and
intimidation at the border
were a long-standing problem
that seemed to have escalated.
“Corruption is rife at this
border post and unfortunately
the One-Stop-Border concept
has failed as there are too many
third party operators involved
and the opportunity for selfenrichment
is simply too great,”
he said.
Pearson added that there
were several underlying
issues that caused conflict
and frustration at the border,
including the fact that Zambia
charges $19/axle while the DRC
charges $100 simply to enter
the control zone. “The general
feeling is that if this charge is
accompanied by an improved
border operation, it is tolerable
but at the moment the service
the transporters are getting
does not justify this charge,”
Pearson said.