Swaziland braces for more highway damage

MBABANE – Swaziland’s beleaguered main highway is set to take a greater beating as a 24/7 convoy of large trucks conveying iron ore increases the frequency of truck runs. Last week saw the inaugural trip of an iron ore-bearing train from Swaziland Railway’s Mpaka rail head to Maputo. The Indian firm Salgaocar has been salvaging iron ore tailings from Ngwenya Mine near the western border with SA, and has been trucking the material cross-country. FTW has reported several mishaps clustered around Mbabane as trucks – five of them in a 24-hour period – turned over, spilling their loads and closing the country’s main east-west highway for up to nine hours at a time. Another truck overturned last week. Officials at the launch of the dedicated rail service expressed hope the transport by rail would lessen truck accidents. However, no road mishaps have been reported in the flat lowveld region of Swaziland where rail transport has replaced truck transport. Accidents occur in the hilly switchback roads around Mbabane. Freed from having to travel all the way to Maputo, the truck fleet has increased its runs in this area, downhill from Ngwenya via Mbabane, through the central transport hub Manzini, and to Mpaka. Swazi MPs have decried the damage the heavy truck fleet is inflicting on highway infrastructure. The Ministry of Public Works and Transport acknowledges the proliferation of potholes around Mbabane and the “sand dune”-like striations appearing on flat stretches of highway frequented by the trucks. No remedial action has been proposed, however, and the Swazi media has noted the steep curved highway leading up to Mbabane, where most of the iron ore trucks have overturned, is stained a deep burgundy colour. The affected section of Malagwane Hill, the only access available to the capital city from the East, is now described by Swazis as “umcwaco lombovu” – the red road.