Zimbabwe volume rebound predicted

TRANSPORTERS OF perishable
products are well placed to gauge a
country’s performance and potential
in the perishables sector. Zimbabwe’s
outlook for regaining its production
capacity is likely to happen, a road
freight company that services the
Johannesburg to Harare route asserts.
“We believe it’s going to take off.
The people need to eat and they have
the ability to produce,” said Robbie
Forbes, director of Transit Freight
Co-ordinators.
The Germiston-based company
maintains offices in Harare. Other
offices in Cape Town and Nelspruit
assist in the movement of all manner
of perishables and other goods on a
fleet of 14 refrigerated trucks, four triaxles
and four curtain-siders to crossborder
destinations like Mozambique,
Malawi, Tanzania, DRC, Swaziland and
Lesotho. The Shoprite Checkers and
Spar supermarket chains use
the firm to supply their stores
throughout SADC.
“Our primary function is to utilise
a fleet of 63 refrigerated rigs and
unlimited general freight carrier
subcontractors to carry out our SADC
freight commitments in addition to
those of our own,” Forbes noted.
And freight transport is not just
one-way traffic from SA.
“We also transport from
Zimbabwe. Flowers are brought by
road to Johannesburg, from where
they are air freighted. Zimbabwean
bananas are for the local market in
South Africa. We move Zimbabwean
citrus for export by sea from South
African ports,” Forbes said.
“Volumes into and out of
Zimbabwe have dropped drastically.
They are 10% to 15% what they
used to be,” said Forbes. But he
predicts an eventual Zimbabwean
economic rebound that will see
volumes return and surpass
previous levels.