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Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
The Shipping and Forwarding Agencies of Zimbabwe (SFAAZ) has raised concern over the delays by the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) in moving cargo to various parts of the country especially Harare and Bulawayo.
In an interview, SFAAZ chief executive officer Mr Joseph Musariri said consignments were taking longer than necessary to reach their final destination.
He said in some cases cargo was taking over a month to reach Harare from Durban as compared to the usual 14 days while the cargo from Beitbridge to Harare was taking over five weeks.
He added that some wagons were piling up at Manica bonded warehouse in Beitbridge.
“There is a general outcry from our members over NRZ’s failure to deliver cargo on time. We are engaging the parastatal over the issue. Generally business is at a standstill because of these delays which are very bad for business
“Some containers are taking four to five weeks to reach Harare from Beitbridge. Under normal circumstances they take between 10 and 14 days.
“This development is strongly affecting business and we are worried that if nothing is done before the festive season the situation at Beitbridge will turn chaotic,” he said.
Mr Musariri said the worst affected areas were Beitbridge, Rutenga and Dabuka.
He said most of the country’s cargo from Maputo came in through Rutenga while that from South Africa came in through Beitbridge border post.
He said the problems have been ongoing until things got to a head early last month.
He said they were yet to get an explanation from NRZ management over the delays.
“Our members are incurring a lot of costs in terms of storage charges and losing a lot of money because of the delays in the movement of cargo.
“You will note that rail transport moves a lot of cargo but we are worried that most of the businesses will be crippled especially those in big cities where most cargo is delivered by rail transport,” he said.
He said other transporters were now opting for road transport which had proved to be effective though there were still challenges at Chirundu Border Post where Zambia had introduced new customs clearance systems.
At least 3 000 trucks pass through Beit-bridge Border Post on a daily basis with a relatively equal number passing through Chirundu Border Post.
NRZ public relations manager Mr Fanuel Masikati said they were facing capacity problems though efforts were being made to expedite the movement of cargo.
“We have a backlog in terms of cargo but we are working around the clock to ensure that our clients receive their goods at the earliest convenient time. “Our main priority is to move cargo as quickly as we can. At the moment we are moving in agricultural inputs now that we are just getting into the rainy season. This does not, however, mean that we will forgo other cargo.
“We acknowledge that we encountered some technical issues resulting in delays but our operations department is working towards addressing the teething challenges. “Resources have been availed to ensure that we move the nation to meet the demands of our customers,” said Mr Masikati.
Online Reporter