Modal split crucial for regional efficiency

Zimbabwe’s transport network is carrying far more than it was designed for, with road freight now making up an unsustainable 80% of the country’s corridor traffic. According to transport consultant Lovemore Bingandadi, the North–South Corridor, which channels copper, cobalt, fuels, fertiliser and consumer goods through Zimbabwe, cannot reach regional efficiency without a rebalanced modal split. “Our roads were never designed to carry 80% of regional trade,” he says. “In Zimbabwe’s own history, the split was 60/40 in favour of rail. Today it’s 80/20. That is not sustainable.” The consequences of this imbalance are visible across the country. Roads on the North–South and Beira corridors are deteriorating faster than their design life, with long-haul trucks carrying loads that should be moving by rail. “Traffic that ought to be moving by rail has shifted to road,” says Bingandadi. “The infrastructure simply cannot cope with that volume.” According to Bingandadi, while some rail infrastructure exists, significant upgrades will be required to move more cargo efficiently back onto rail. “At the same time, we have to fast-track the move towards one-stop border posts, not just in Zimbabwe but across the region,” he said, noting that one of the biggest challenges on the North–South Corridor was coordinating Zambia and the DRC to address the bottleneck at the Kasumbalesa border post. There is clear intent from both governments to improve operations, not only at Kasumbalesa but also at the three satellite border posts that work in conjunction with it.” To date, however, it remains challenging, with long truck queues and costly delays. According to Desiderio Fernandes, president of the Federation of Clearing and Forwarding Associations of Southern Africa (FCFASA), a champion is needed for the North–South Corridor. “Much like Angola has seen the opportunity in the DRC and Zambia and is driving the Lobito Corridor progress, or Namibia’s ongoing investment in growing and building the Walvis Bay corridors, we need a country to take up the role as champion for the North–South Corridor.” He said it was also critical for the private sector to be involved and actively engaged. “Active engagement of the private sector is critical and essential in any corridor. The private sector is focused on time, deliverables and costing – key indicators for other corridors. They should involve the private sector even if there is no PPP in place. If you are building a one-stop border post, then involve them from the start. That will ensure that the hard infrastructure meets the needs of the private sector.” There is no corridor with greater potential than the North–South Corridor, he added, but not in its current format. He said grabbing some of the low-hanging fruit, such as soft infrastructure refurbishments first, before tackling hard infrastructure, would also build confidence across the sector. According to Bingandadi, regional plans to convert the North–South Corridor into a fully fledged economic corridor – linking mining, agriculture, beneficiation and special economic zones – add further urgency. “With more than half of SADC’s population living along this route, coordinated investment could transform this corridor, and that bodes exceptionally well for Zimbabwe.” LV