Zim about turn on transit fees for dangerous goods

The Road Freight Association is engaging with the Ministries of Transport and Trade and Industry following a Zimbabwean decision to implement transit fees for dangerous goods. The country last year placed this ruling on hold, but has since informed the RFA that the transit fees for dangerous goods will now be charged. According to RFA operations manager Gavin Kelly, in terms of the Statutory Instrument 77 of 2009 published on May 29 2009, which refers to section 140 of the Environmental Management Act (Chapter 20:27), the fees will now be charged on all dangerous goods loads transiting Zimbabwe. “Although the original legislation (SI 12 of 2007) classified chemicals in three groups of severity (green, amber and red), it was also decided that the official inspecting the vehicle and receiving the transit fee could change the classification of a chemical if he felt it was more dangerous than originally classified. The obvious implication is that we would in all likelihood always pay the maximum fee provided for,” he said. “The fees range from US$30 to US$160, which is excessively high and unrealistic.”