Road upgrades reduce cost of doing business with Angola

Improvements in the Angolan road and Customs infrastructure have reduced road freight rates by up to a third over the past few years, says Quintin Calitz, managing partner of Tutungeni Import and Export. Only around 60 kilometres of the main Trans Caprivi Corridor on the Angolan side remains in very bad condition, he says. Describing the company as “the agent’s agent,” Calitz and business manager Drury Parrell specialise in moving cargo into and out of Angola, Namibia and global countries. Their systems and network have been honed to the point where they can move a truckload of cargo from Durban on the east coast to their Luanda warehouse in 14 days. “We have created the structures needed to overcome the bottlenecks on the way,” says Parrell. Blockages are sometimes caused by clients. One shipment was delayed because the shipper decided to include a “thank you” box with the cargo at the last minute. When Angola customs inspected the cargo and found the undeclared box, they held up the shipment. “Declare everything. In the long run you save money by being honest,” says Calitz. Tutungeni has its own offices and agents all the way from Durban, Cape Town or Walvis Bay to the main centres in Angola. “We are one of few companies that offer door to door in Angola. Under our fully controlled logistics offering we can certainly manage our clients’ expectations for full supply chain functions in a controlled environment. Tutungeni also operates its own fleet of medium commercials which are best suited to the conditions and loads which are distributed within Angola. There is an ‘open book’ policy where goods and services are procured and offered on behalf of the client. Being transparent, Tutungeni does not add on to the costs of third-party suppliers. “We focus on building long-term relationships with our clients,” he says. CAPTION The Tutungeni team – left back Quintin Calitz (managing partner) and Drury Parrell (business manager). Sitting in front is business partner Paula Mupopiwa.