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.