31 Aug 2022

The rise in the traffic volume on the Trans Kalahari Corridor (TKC), is a welcome development as it signals growth in trade, says Trans Kalahari Corridor Secretariat executive director, Mr Leslie Mpofu.

In an interview, Mr Mpofu, who believed that the corridor was being optimally utilised, attributed the rise of traffic to growth in trade.

He said fuel trucks from Namibia to Botswana was something new in TKC, that they welcomed, adding that Sea rail; Botswana’s dry port in Namibia, had not only contributed to the rise in traffic, but also boosted trade.

He noted that recently, there was a big consignment of sugar from Brazil destined for Botswana as well as the trade oceans consignment, still destined to Botswana.

He said Sea port was also efficient. “If your product reaches the sea rail, it will have left the port in three days and within the next two days, it will have reached Gaborone,” he added.

Mr Mpofu said truck congestion at the border should not be too worrisome, as a virtual queuing system known as ‘vehicle reservation system’ was on the horizon.

He said the vehicle reservation system, a virtual queuing system that would allow a vehicle to queue before getting to the border just through a booking in the system, was one of the Trans Kalahari Corridor Secretariat (TKCS) initiatives aimed at easing freight movement and making trade seamless along the corridor.

Mr Mpofu revealed that the Trans Kalahari Corridor Management Committee was working on the system, which it adopted at its February meeting. Ends