Non-Tariff Barriers

Complaint

Complaint number

NTB-000-604  

NTB Type

7.5. Lengthy procedures  

Complaint

This complaint is registered by FESARTA.
There are excessive delays at the Chirundu border post between Zimbabwe and Zambia
Trucks are taking around 5 days to transit the border and are completing only one trip Beira, Zambia and return, per month. Their monthly kilometres travelled is down to around 5000 kms per month. No transporter can accommodate such a low utilization of his fleet.
The queue on the Zimbabwe side, stretches for anything up to 10 kms.
There are several reasons for the delays at this border post, including:
Strict application of new rules and procedures by the Bank of Zambia and ZRA
The scanning machine has been under repair
There were special arrangements for Ministers visiting the border and so restricting the passage of trucks
The commercial operating hours are from 0800 to 1630. This is insufficient for the traffic flow
A tug-of-war between ZRP and ZIMRA as to which should control the traffic on the Zim side
When a crisis like this occurs, officials "make a plan" and clear the border of backlog.
It is understood that it costs $10 to get to the front of the queue and $20 to get into customs. Transit can then be made in 12 hours.
This is not acceptable.
There should be a permanent process in place to ensure the border does not get congested.
One solution, is to open the border from 6am to midnight, as with Beitbridge.
Extra security will have to be put in place to accommodate this night traffic and parking.
Urgent and effective measures must be taken.  

Status note

On 7th October 2013, the Zimbabwe Focal Point reported that the relevant NMC members comprising Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce held a meeting on 4 October 2013 to consider the urgent complaint raised by the Transport Operators’ Association of Zimbabwe also posted on the online system as NTB 604. The meeting observed that that the congestion was a result of increased traffic on the North South Corridor and also increase in traffic from Beira Port. This is coupled with inadequate infrastructure at the border which was not designed to contain the large volume of traffic.
The meeting identified the following factors that contributed towards the congestion as well as a way forward to address the problem resulted in clearing the congestion.
1. The congestion which was experienced recently was partly caused by break down of scanner on the Zambian side due to heat. The Zambians are scanning 100% on commercial cargo. This also contributed to the problem.
2. Inadequate infrastructure is the main challenge at the border. North-bound trucks are only released four at a time because there is no holding space on the Zambian side.
3. ZIMRA has a challenge of accommodation at the border, so when they send their relief staff they will be staying in Kariba, which is also costly for them.
4. Problems of congestion at Chirundu can only be solved by engaging the Zambian counter-parts since the problem is brought about by north bound traffic.
5. ZIMRA is pre-clearing most trucks but Clearing Agents release trucks in batches to minimise movement across the border. This creates additional congestion. However, ZIMRA have already engaged the agents on the issue.
6. ZIMRA has already engaged ZRA and they have made an administrative arrangement to work up to 10pm whenever the traffic volume is high. ZIMRA have also reacted to ease the congestion problem by sending 19 additional staff.
7. It emerged that there is lack of control of trucks outside the border area. The police and the Rural District Council seem not to be playing their role. The trucks would also be mixed with that carrying hazardous and flammable goods which is very risk.
8. The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development is going to set up a committee which will visit Chirundu Border Post to get more information from the people on the ground.

Way forward

1 Zimbabwe set up a committee to visit the border to establish facts from the people on the ground.
2. Zimbabwe will make effort to engage her Zambian counter-parts so that they create some holding space for north-bound traffic.
3. Zimbabwe Ministry of Transport is working on creating temporary parks on the Zimbabwean side as well as building accommodation for border agencies.  

Progress update note

1. On 11 November 2013 FCFASA reported that large numbers of trucks had been pushed in the morning on the Zimbabwe side such that by 1300 hrs there were no queues at the border. A large number of trucks were received after 1400hrs but by 1700 hrs all trucks crossed to the Zambia side.

2. On 10 November 2013, FCFASA submitted the following update on Chirundu;
‘Chirundu is experiencing an influx of trucks on the north bound with rate of arrival increasing since Saturday 09 November 2013. The border crisis management team on the Zimbabwe side alerted Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) and Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA ) who responded by opening both borders at 0600 hrs. It is anticipated that this coordinated approach persists in order to push the trucks and minimize the congestion. ZIMRA and ZRA are encouraged to maintain this operation of opening at 0600hrs and closing at 1800hrs since the queue sometimes is reaching the New Council Truck Inn which is a kilometer away from the border.

One of FCFASA members reported that sometimes 15 or 10 trucks are arriving at the same time and can temporarily extend the queue to Shashe Fuels/New Zimbulk depot. A truck is taking maximum 5 hours to cross to Zambia at the moment.

3. The Transport association of Zimbabwe reported that long trucks queues at Chirundu border post had resurfaced and reached crisis levels. On the morning of the 5th November, 2013, the queue reached Ram Petroleum which is 4 km away from the border. FESARTA members therefore requested the reinstatement of previously resolved NTB 604, citing following reasons:
i) The Chirundu situation is an operational and infrastructure problem that cannot be resolved by simply putting in place short term measures to clear queues.
ii) The problem resurfaces within short periods of time therefore demanding a long term solution by the Zambia and Zimbabwe authorities
iii) A Meeting was held between Zambia and Zimbabwe stakeholders, during week 31 Oct-05 November 2013, to discuss the current congestion crisis. It noted that while short term measures were taken to avert the situation through improvement on issuance of gate procedure by Zambia Revenue Authority, extended business hours to 2000 hrs on both sides of the border for next 2-3 days to clear the trucks, there are more fundamental issues that require urgent policy change and infrastructure upgrading and these include:

a) Zambia Scanner
i) It was noted that the scanner is slow, considering the fact that it takes 4 minutes to scan a truck when things are normal. When the temperatures rise it overheats and takes some time to cool down.
ii) It is noted that time keeping at the scanner is poor, and that it shuts down at lunch hour. It would seem that scanning a truck every 4 minutes is optimistic, and it may, in reality be taking nearly twice that time, excluding ‘cooling’ time. It therefore is probably unrealistic to expect the scanner to cope with the volume of traffic in the limited time it is operating.

2. Operating hours
Transport Operators recommend that serious consideration be made to provide the infrastructure and staff, as per report of the Zimbabwe meeting of officials of ministry of transport and transport operators association held on 7 October 2013, necessary to permanently enable extension of the border operating hours to 6:00 am to midnight, 7 days a week.

2. On 7th October 2013, the Zimbabwe Focal Point reported that the relevant NMC members comprising Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce held a meeting on 4 October 2013 to consider the urgent complaint raised by the Transport Operators’ Association of Zimbabwe also posted on the online system as NTB 604. The meeting observed that that the congestion was a result of increased traffic on the North South Corridor and also increase in traffic from Beira Port. This is coupled with inadequate infrastructure at the border which was not designed to contain the large volume of traffic.

Meeting Outcomes

The meeting deliberated on the issues of congestion at Chirundu Border Post and the following outcomes emerged:
• The congestion which was experienced recently was partly caused by break down of scanner on the Zambian side due to heat. The Zambians are scanning 100% on commercial cargo. This also contributed to the problem.
• Inadequate infrastructure is the main challenge at the border. North-bound trucks are only released four at a time because there is no holding space on the Zambian side.
• ZIMRA has a challenge of accommodation at the border, so when they send their relief staff they will be staying in Kariba, which is also costly for them.
• Problems of congestion at Chirundu can only be solved by engaging the Zambian counter-parts since the problem is brought about by north bound traffic.
• ZIMRA is pre-clearing most trucks but Clearing Agents release trucks in batches to minimise movement across the border. This creates additional congestion. However, ZIMRA have already engaged the agents on the issue.
• ZIMRA has already engaged ZRA and they have made an administrative arrangement to work up to 10pm whenever the traffic volume is high. ZIMRA have also reacted to ease the congestion problem by sending 19 additional staff.
• It emerged that there is lack of control of trucks outside the border area. The police and the Rural District Council seem not to be playing their role. The trucks would also be mixed with those carrying hazardous and flammable goods which is very risk.
• The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development is going to set up a committee which will visit Chirundu Border Post to get more information from the people on the ground.

Way forward

• Zimbabwe set up a committee to visit the border to establish facts from the people on the ground.
• Zimbabwe will make effort to engage her Zambian counter-parts so that they create some holding space for north-bound traffic.
• Zimbabwe Ministry of Transport is working on creating temporary parks on the Zimbabwean side as well as building accommodation for border agencies.


2. On 29 September 2013, FESARTA raised concern that there is a number of petrol tankers running North from Beira to Ndola. Transporters were very concerned knowing that there are long queues and slow movement of trucks parked so close to each other. This time of year it is extremely hot and should there be a spill or vapour leak, the potential of there being a massive explosion is very possible. A simple oversight by drivers (not necessarily the tanker drivers) using gas burners close to tankers, or potential veldt fires, as two simple examples, could turn into something catastrophic. Having all these trucks together with nowhere to move, should there be an emergency, is cause for serious concern.
FESARTA .  

Policy or regulatory NTB

No 

Location

Zambia: Chirundu (Border post)  

Reporting Country or Region

South Africa  

Country specific trade issue

No  

Date of incident

2013-09-19  

Status

Resolved  

Date of resolution

2013-11-13  

Product Description

All products

Computer-assisted translation

• English
• Arabic
• French
• Portuguese

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Total value

0  

Date reported

2013-09-26 13:56  

Modified

2013-11-28 14:54