Expanding their service into Botswana and Lesotho this year gave the three owners of Sharp Freight an appreciation of the role roadfreight plays in national economies, and the demands of customers at a time of escalating shipping costs. “Clearing and forwarding is a challenging business. We play a very important role in a nation’s economy. Ensuring that customs duties are paid is one important function we play, particularly in a landlocked country like Swaziland where there is so much road freight,” said company director Jabu Vilakati. Raw materials manufactured in Swaziland for the local garment industry have created a product for Sharp to transport overborder to textile factories in Botswana and Lesotho. This necessitated the purchase of two new trucks, a Super-Link and a smaller two-tonner, as well as forklifts for the company warehouse. A new warehouse is to be built on a plot of land next to Sharp’s offices at the Matsapha Industrial Estate. “Things are always up and down, down and up – that’s the nature of the business, but you must plan ahead,” said company director Shadreck Mnisi. Service Magagula, the third company director, co-helms the strategy sessions aimed at cutting operating costs to ensure that the level of quality service is not sacrificed to keep customer costs down. “In today’s environment, we look at cost-cutting all the time. Whatever we can we cut. The customer is very cost-conscious, and is searching for better rates. They ask, ‘Please, give us something less,’ and because they can shop around, we do what we can,” said Mnisi.
