Logistics companies in Botswana and Gauteng are in discussions with the Trans Kalahari Corridor Secretariat (TKCS) to package complete logistics supply chain services between Walvis Bay and Gauteng, according to TKCS marketing and business development specialist Zunaid Pochee.
“South African companies are keen to investigate options for moving cargo direct from Walvis Bay into South Africa. “We are part of the same customs union, which means that only one set of documents is required.
“The advantage of Walvis Bay is that the dwell times are minimal.” At present the corridor, which runs through Botswana, carries a “steady” volume of 3.5 million tons a year of cargo, but there is ample room for growth, he says.
The discussions with logistics operators in Gauteng are focusing on identifying ways of bringing the total costs of using Walvis Bay down to equal or below that of Durban and Cape Town.
Among the options being discussed is a dry port or staging area in Walvis Bay. Trucks will be able to turn around with full loads from the port, with rail handling the link between Walvis Bay and Windhoek.
Walvis Bay will become much more competitive by 2019 with the opening of the new deep-water container terminal and the completion of a new road which runs behind the coastal dunes between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.
The road will eliminate a major bottleneck on the route from Walvis Bay to Gauteng. A bypass around the centre of Windhoek will also reduce transit time and risks.
Work is progressing well on the building of a dual carriage freeway between Windhoek and Okahandja. Importers and exporters based in Botswana will also be more likely to use Walvis Bay if they are provided with a one-stop package, Pochee believes.
Freight forwarders and shippers can also look forward to an expansion of the rail network to link Botswana to the Namibian system. A dedicated office for the proposed 1 500-kilometre-long line, which will carry freight and export coal, has been opened. “It is good to know this project is still alive,” says Pochee.
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Among the options being discussed is a dry port or staging area in Walvis Bay. – Zunaid Pochee
