Regional expertise keeps
Angolan market ticking
JOY ORLEK
TRADING INTO Angola is not for the faint-hearted. Impeccable contacts and logistics support to match are the backbone of any successful project.
Trading house Global Mining Support Group, which specialises in serving businesses operating into remote areas of Africa, and particularly the diamond mining industry in Angola, has clearly got it right. The company processes purchases to the value of more than R100-m annually, mostly sourced from South Africa.
“It’s a tough market to crack, particularly with the war situation, but we have people on board who have been living or trading in the region and are therefore up to the challenges facing them,” says managing director Cobus Viljoen.
And many of these challenges are on the logistics side, which has meant aligning with a company that has the necessary regional understanding and expertise. For GMS, Spartan-based Express Link Cargo, headed up by veteran Angolan specialists Malcolm Stewart and Riaan Cock, has more than stood up to the challenge.
“If you look at where the mines are situated, getting the goods there through the threat of hijacking, banditry and military intervention is no mean feat.
“They understand the problems and hurdles at the ports and airport, as well as the issues in terms of cargo clearance in a country whose systems are sometimes fairly antiquated, and in our view, they’ve come up trumps,” says Viljoen.
Express Link Cargo was established ten years ago, but Stewart has notched up 20 years experience on the route. “We like to believe that our expertise and know-how in keeping the supply chain moving has played a role in the success of GMS.”
