The Mozambican government has announced that it will resume charging road toll fees at reduced rates throughout the country with effect from May 15.
This comes after the government suspended toll fees during the post-election demonstrations that degenerated into extreme violence, leaving more than 300 dead and thousands injured.
Mozambique’s Minister of Transport and Logistics, João Matlombe, announced this during a visit to the Mozambique Road Network (Revimo) on Monday, May 5.
Matlombe said the move, which aims to benefit the most vulnerable groups and allow for the country’s economic recovery, was the result of negotiations between the government and toll concessionaires,.
“Given the economic situation we find ourselves in, with all the destruction we are witnessing, the government has taken the decision to carry out a downward review of toll rates across the country, including the EN6, in order to allow people to have access to tolls but, above all, to directly benefit public passenger transport,” Matlombe said.
“Until December 31, we will continue to monitor and track the growth of the economy and the increase in citizens’ purchasing power so that, over that period, obviously, we will then assess whether we return more or less to normal toll rates or not.”
Matlombe said the benefit “essentially aims to reach low-income people and the public transport service”.
“There are reductions on the EN4, the concessionaire is Trans African Concessions. We have reductions in the tolls granted by Revimo, we have reductions in the tolls granted by the Road Fund and we have reductions on the bridge over the Zambezi River – each of them has a specific tariff,” he said.
“Each scenario was analysed and these contracts are binding on the government because the investment recovery has to be made. Therefore, they are the result of negotiation, not imposition.”
Matlombe said there are some situations where there has been a relatively higher investment in road infrastructure. Therefore, toll fees could not have been reduced as much as the government would have liked.
Regarding freight transporters, especially on EN4 national road, the minister said toll rates may remain the same, given the commercial nature of the activity.
“The tax paid by the commercial operator is already charged to the end consumer. Therefore, it does not make much sense for a commercial vehicle, such as a truck, to ask for commercial discounts or complain that it wants to pass through a toll booth without paying,” he said.
“There are many initiatives that have been embraced by transporters, by the federation, by associations that to us do not seem very fair because the cost of maintaining the road is quite high. It is important that trucks pay the tolls and pay the real rate.”
Mozambique has 41 toll plazas across the country.
Source: AIM
