From page 12 long -distance hauliers on the north-south route is the security situation in South Africa.Because we often carry high-value commodities, you only need to consider what’s happening on the N3 highway to Durban quite regularly to understand the risk to life and property – our own and our clients’ – that we face.Theft and attacks on the supply chain have a very big impact on our industry and must be addressed as a matter of urgency. Such is the threat of violent interference with a trucker’s journey in South Africa that we’re more worried about the driver and truck when it’s in South Africa than outside our country’s borders.It once again brings to mind the reason why we prefer using Kazungula. Not only is the One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) run well, but the roads in Botswana are well maintained and truckers feel safe travelling through that country.In comparison, traffic on the Beira Corridor is on the increase and converges at the Chirundu border, with traffic coming through from Beitbridge regularly causing bottlenecking at the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia.Fuel costs, amongst others in Zimbabwe, are other reasons why we prefer to transit through Botswana. It may be about 150-200 kilometres longer than the way through Beitbridge, but the cost of using Kazungula and the efficiencies at the crossing make it worth our while.It is exactly thanks to efficiencies at border crossings like Groblersbrug/Martin’s Drift and Kazungula that transporters choose that route to get into the DRC and back again.If we as an industry collaborate around adopting the same operating models they have at OSBPs like Kazungula and Groblersbrug/Martin’s Drift, we could limit the amount of trucking hours currently lost because of unsynchronised customs regimes and bilateral agreements that are not in place.If we address these issues, along with the problems we experience at ports like Durban, it is our belief at GreenDoor Group that we could bring about greater prosperity for trade across the entire region.
