Two hundred police officers
have been deployed at the
Kasumbalesa border post
between Zambia and the
Democratic Republic of
Congo following the recent
fatal shooting of truck drivers
in the area and threats by
trucking associations to
boycott the border post. But
industry insiders say much
more is needed.
“The Zambian army
and police can continue
to tighten up security but
what is really needed is to
improve the efficiencies and
governance systems of this
crucial trade corridor,” said
Mark Pearson programme
director of TradeMark
Southern Africa (TMSA).
The owner of a well-known
trucking company in Zambia
told FTW that trucking
companies had met with
government
and regional
industry
leaders
in Zambia, as well as
TMSA and the Federation
of East and Southern
African Road Transport
Associations (Fesarta).
“A non-tariff barriers
(NTB) complaint has also
been registered,” he said.
According to him, boycotting
this route is simply not an
option.
“We need the work and
Kasumbalesa is the
only border that can
handle road freight.
Furthermore, while
many minerals come out
of the DRC, they import
fuel, mining equipment
and food. Without those
essential imports, the
country will collapse,”
he said. Exports of
copper, cobalt and other
mineral concentrates
from the DRC would
also be negatively affected
and small-scale traders will
be the hardest hit, added
Pearson.
“The road through
Kasumbalesa is the main
route from Lubumbashi
to the sea ports of Durban
and Dar es Salaam so pretty
much all copper exports from
Katanga go out there and
almost all Katanga imports
come through Kasumbalesa,”
he said.
Pearson noted that there
was no option but to deal
with the matter rather than
boycott the border. “The
economic fall-out would lead
to more instability within and
outside the Katanga province
of the DRC,” he stated.
The Common Market for
Eastern and Southern Africa
(Comesa), along with the
Commonwealth secretarygeneral
Kamalesh Sharma,
have been trying to organise
the truck drivers and help
them form an organisation
so they have a voice, reports
TMSA.
Zambian president
Michael Sata said he was
engaging with his Congolese
counterpart on the need to
prevent violence by tightening
security and “ultimately
preventing criminal elements
from peddling their narrow
and selfish interests”. “Be
assured that the situation is
being addressed and I urge all
Zambians to remain calm,” he
said in a statement.
INSERT & CAPTION
Be assured
the situation
is being
addressed.
– Michael Sata
INSERT
What is really needed
is to improve the
efficiencies and
governance systems.
– Mark Pearson
