Recession took its toll but volumes improving

As the official representative
of BP Freight in Zambia,
clearing and forwarding agent
Cee Cee Freight handles up to
four groupage trucks a week
from Johannesburg to Lusaka.
“It’s all general cargo and
very seasonal,” says managing
director Chris Chiinda. “At
times like Christmas and
Easter, volumes are much
higher and we find as many as
four trucks a week moving on
the route.”
BP Freight consolidates
the cargo at its warehouse in
South Africa and dispatches
it to Zambia where Cee
Cee arranges clearance and
distribution.
“If the client’s address is not
known, the shipment will be
delivered to us,” says Chiinda,
who is all too aware of the
challenges faced at the border.
“Clearance of consolidations
takes too long. One client’s
cargo may be cleared in good
time and another not. We come
in and try to help out in any
way we can. Sometimes we
offload the shipment and put it
in customs custody to speed up
the truck. You can’t delay 13
clients just because one client’s
cargo has not been cleared.
“By making proactive
decisions we ensure that cargo
is moved through the border to
final destination as speedily
as possible.”
The recession clearly took
its toll on volumes as a
number of mining companies
closed down.
“But many are reopening
and business is beginning to
improve,” says Chiinda, who
is upbeat about future growth
for Zambia.