Reprieve for car dealers

Speaking at Namport’s stand at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, public relations assistant Mr Cliff Shikuambi said dealers could use the Trans-Caprivi route which, though longer than the Trans-Kalahari route which passes through Botswana, would not require them to hire carriers.

The route goes via Zambia into Livingstone from where it then goes into Zimbabwe.
“Dealers have not been able to understand that it is not our fault they cannot drive their cars through Botswana, but we have been able to explain to them what is happening. We are happy to say that most have left our stand with the knowledge that they can use the Trans-Caprivi route to bring in their vehicles,” he said.

In March, Botswana announced it had banned second-hand cars more than five years old from driving on its roads. This had adversely affected car dealers and other individuals who import vehicles from Europe via Walvis Bay in Namibia who would then have to load them onto carriers.

A number of Zimbabwean car dealers have been driving the vehicles through Botswana to the Plumtree Border Post to minimise costs, but hiring carriers from the port through Botswana will cost between US$1 000 and US$1 500 more, depending on the type and size of the vehicle. The move is also likely to affect hundreds of Zimbabweans who were driving vehicles from Walvis Bay at fees ranging between US$250 and US$300 a trip.

But Mr Shikuambi said dealers would need to obtain the necessary quotations to work out the required logistics.
“This alternative route gives dealers a choice,” he said. “Instead of being forced to hire a carrier, they can now choose how they want to get their vehicles into the country.” He noted that Zimbabwe was the biggest importer of second-hand vehicles passing through the Walvis Bay port, taking up 1 000 cars every month — 75 percent of all the cars that come through the port.

Mr Shikuambi reiterated the importance of the completion of the dry port facility at Walvis Bay so that Zimbabwe’s trade avenues could become easier.
Currently, Zimbabwe is using Walvis Bay, Cape Town, Durban and Beira ports to bring in goods. But once the dry port is completed all goods would come in through Walvis Bay, which is cheaper and more convenient.

Significant growth has been experienced on the Walvis Bay Corridor for imports to Zimbabwe. Consignments being transported through this corridor include frozen chicken, furniture, equipment, vehicles and other consumables.

The need for landlocked countries to gain access through an alternative trade route to and from the sea is imperative, benefiting from access to the Port of Walvis Bay, which offers importers and exporters reduced time and cost savings, high reliability and cargo security.