Two-way traffic makes

Zambia an attractive option
LEONARD NEILL
TWO-WAY CARGO traffic between South Africa and Zambia has increased to the extent that backloads from the north are now making this route far more profitable, says United Global Logistics managing director Caston Dutuma. In the past Zambia-bound trucks often returned empty, but more and more goods are now moving southbound. The latest major contract entered into by his company is the monthly order of 1 000tons of steel from Ndola to Durban, for onward transport to India. Another backload is moving from Mutare in Zimbabwe, where a minimum of six truckloads a week of timber are being brought back to this country. This complements the 3800 metric tonnes of loose coal conveyed monthly to Zimbabwe. But it doesn’t end there, says Dutuma, who offers daily full loads to these countries as well as Malawi and the DRC. The increase in traffic to the DRC is tremendous, he says. ”I have recently returned from a lengthy business visit to that country. Despite reports you may read of unrest up there, most of this is confined to the eastern sector of a very large country. In the more populated west business is on the boom. The people are getting themselves organised and we are experiencing greater activity than we had previously expected.” Zambia is already placing a big demand on his company’s service of abnormal trucks carrying heavy machinery from Durban through which shipments are imported from Germany and Canada. Low bed trucks are needed and with mining activities now opening up on a large scale in the DRC, this type of service will be required in that region as well. “We started an airfreight division recently serving Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi and it is doing well. Now it appears it is going to become even busier, with DRC requirements developing rapidly.”