Kazungula Bridge; a blessing and a curse
Shingirai Madondo | Friday May 2, 2014 14:54
The vendors, whose source of livelihood is the sale of food to the truck drivers and their companions, the bridge construction had instilled fear of loss of business.
The governments of Botswana and Zambia are jointly involved in the construction of Kazungula Bridge in a bid to speed up the logistical proceedings at the entry point.
This is so because a lot of truck drivers prefer using the Kazungula Ferry border post because of its direct link to the rest of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region.
The bridge works is expected to commence in July.
The development is now a source of contention for those doing business at the Kazungula Ferry point. For years, residents of Kazungula have been making brisk business by selling food, vegetables and other related products to truck drivers crossing to and from Botswana through ferry border post.
Kazungula Ferry is usually chock-a-block with haulage trucks destined for countries either in the east, south and the far northern part of the SADC region.
This meant thriving business opportunities at the border post.
“It is welcome development for those fighting political survival and truck drivers as well as logistical companies. But for us (vendors), this marks the demise of our businesses,” said Miriam Sishego.
The 45-year-old said the construction of a bridge would mean no more congestion of trucks heading to and from countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Angola and the better part of the far Great Lakes.
“We were thriving on this congestion,” said Sishego, pointing at the long queue of haulage trucks awaiting clearance to cross over into Zambia.
She said truck drivers spend almost three to four days waiting for their vehicles to be cleared and hence survive by buying food from their businesses.
“Our small businesses thrive more when there is always a delay. Delays are usually caused when one or two of the three pontoon boats are not in working condition,” said Sishego, adding that the construction of a bridge is a total drawback. Amelia Mochawacha says the Kazungula Bridge will mark the end of her 15-year operation of this informal business.
“Pontoon boats will be of no use anymore. And the operators of these pontoon boats have been buying from us.
“The youths of Kazungula has been generating income through helping travellers to and from Zambia through carrying their luggage into and off the pontoon,” she lamented.
In 2012, Zambia and Botswana invited bids for the construction of the bridge and the project was said to be financed partly through an $80 million loan secured from the African Development Bank.
The bridge is expected to enhance transportation of goods along the regional North-South Corridor that links the two mineral-rich countries, Zambia and the DRC to the port of Durban in South Africa.