Nickel mine keeps volumes buoyant

BOOMING MINING and construction projects in the land-locked, import orientated nation of Botswana are keeping both South African and Botswanan freight firms on their toes. “We collect 5% of Botswana’s import shipments,” says Graham Burt, director of Consolidations Botswana, a branch of Botswana Consolidators based in South Africa. “There are no dips in growth as everything has to be imported. “The Tati nickel mine between Francistown and Zimbabwe has been very good for us,” says Kitty Hewitt at the SA wing of the operation, which has also just handled a shipment of electric fittings for a hospital in Orapa. More hospitals and maternity clinics are planned for 2009." Operationally, the majority of the company’s business is overnight into Botswana, but as Burt explains, freighting in Botswana is a matter of outlook. “The term courier loses perspective in this part of the world. Proper courier companies have all the documentation, but this is not utilised here.” Transporting into Botswana is pretty much mono-directional, but this doesn’t seem to faze the company. “Because of the demand, trucks can drop off and get back quicker for the next trip into Botswana because they don’t have to load, wait, and clear. The economics just make more sense,” says Burt. The company operates a bonded warehouse based in Botswana, with communication between the two offices the key to the company’s growing success.