Surge in food aid to Zim clogs up Beitbridge

Beitbridge border post has recently seen a tremendous upsurge in the number of northbound commercial vehicles carrying food aid to Zimbabwe and, of course, returning empty. “Having these trucks in addition to the 300-500 commercial vehicles that daily use this border post has meant that there have inevitably been some traffic queues, but these have been cleared within the day, with customs and affected agencies coming in and working through the night to clear the backlog," says Brian Kalshoven of Beitbridge Border Clearing Agency, part of the Linked Logistics chain. “It has been estimated that a vehicle carrying certain types of goods may need the blessing of as many as 14 different government departments in order to obtain clearance,” he told FTW. He notes that the numbers of return loads have unfortunately reduced with the value of the Zimbabwe dollar. Imports of agricultural produce, raw materials and manufactured goods from that country have dwindled to a trickle. The world recession and its effect on prices of mineral products supplied from SADC countries have seen a further drop in this type of load. “Recession notwithstanding, the Cross-Border Road Transport Authority (CBRTA) together with the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) have completed construction of the new traffic control facility half a kilometre south of the border post. Only the electronics and equipment now need to be installed. “Word around the border is that commissioning will be in March – although rumours abound as to the checks and facilities that will be implemented and provided at the centre.” According to Kalshoven, there will be a weighbridge, road permit examination offices, vehicle roadworthiness checking facilities, a load adjustment area and an area where bus passengers can alight while their vehicles are checked or repaired. “It goes without saying that having the centre operational will cause disruption to traffic on the N1,” he added. “The design requires that some northbound traffic will have to cross the N1 at an intersection, which it appears will be traffic-light controlled,” he said.