Border hours high on new committee's
agenda, writes Leonard Neill
Frank Gschwender . . .
A secretariat will now
be established for
administrative support and to ensure implementation
THE TRANS Kalahari Corridor Management Committee (TKCMC) is now in operation. What had started out as purely the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG), with Namibia and Botswana giving it full support but South African officialdom lagging, has now been changed, says WBCG business development executive Frank Gschwender.
At the recent tri-nation meeting, held in Pretoria, representatives of the South African Department of Trade and Industry together with the private sector attended in strength.
"The need has been realised that representation must cover all three countries, and be on a qualified and competent, decision-making level," he says. "Government and public sector have to be represented at all times, but to limit the number of participants to ensure efficiency of the committee, core members are the departments of trade and industry as well as border operating officials, regional associations of freight forwarders and road hauliers, plus, of course,
the WBCG.
Issue-based working groups are also being formed to address the operational issues on the ground. These will involve transport, customs, law enforcement, transparency and accountability, commercial infrastructure, safety, training and business development.
"We are now confident we have created a powerful facilitation and promotion agency to get the Trans Kalahari Corridor well established, both here and internationally."
The issue of extending border operating hours has now been placed high on the agenda, says Gschwender, with South Africa having indicated its intention to give full support, both to this and to the eventual aim of the TKCMC to have all border posts along the route open 24 hours a day.
A cross border Ôtrouble shooting' network has been established, he says, and clarification of Botswana traffic regulations is also being addressed at present.
"We are having greater response from shipping lines as well," he says. "At our latest meeting Maersk SA presented shipping line requirements to build up a new service to Walvis Bay. This is encouraging. Maersk revealed its interest in the development of the route, and has followed closely what has been happening on the inland leg, as other lines have done. With support like this, and that which we are now getting from government and private sector levels, the highway situation is looking much brighter."
