Kazungula Bridge spells economic doom for Zim
HARARE-Economists have warned that the newly-commissioned Kazungula rail road bridge between Zambia and Botswana spells economic doom for Zimbabwe as it would divert business from the country.
Three regional presidents; Edgar Lungu of Zambia, Ian Khama of Botswana and Zimbabwe’s Emmerson Mnangagwa inspect progress on the multi-million-dollar Kazungula Bridge in Kasane, which upon completion will enhance intra-regional trade within the SADC region and beyond.
The bridge bypasses Zimbabwe, meaning trucks from South Africa can now cross via Mafikeng to Botswana and straight to Kazungula, thereby bypassing Zimbabwe.
If this alternative route proves to more efficient and friendlier to haulage trucks, the traffic via Beitbridge will be significantly reduced and Zimbabwe stands to lose out in terms of revenue.
All along, Zimbabwe was a transit hub, catering for northbound and southbound transit traffic through its ports of entry and exit.
The country was a gateway to East and southern African countries and served Zambia, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, among other countries.
Zimbabwe benefited from cargo duty and toll fees.
Now with this project, Zimbabwe stands to miss out on the economic benefits brought about by the construction of the mammoth bridge, over the Zambezi River stretching 923 metres, because former president Robert Mugabe could not sanction its passage through the Zimbabwean territory as a crude way of fixing his regional nemesis, Botswana president Seretse Khama Ian Khama.
Mugabe and Khama often found themselves trading barbs as the latter had become an open critic of the ousted nonagenarian.
Because of the bad blood, Zambia and Botswana had to talk Namibia into an agreement to curve the bridge into its territory, which lengthened the bridge by 323 metres.
But although current president Emmerson Mnangagwa hurried to Kazungula to witness its commissioning — a move which State pundits claimed was meant to show a change of stance by Zimbabwe — analysts said this project sounds a death knell for the country.
Besides the loss of revenue in the form of transit fees and toll fees, there will also be loss of business for the consumptive tourism sub-sector, which includes restaurants, overnight accommodation facilities and some recreations.
“This is a great loss of revenue since most transporters would divert to that route. I think the bureaucratic issues at the Beitbridge and Chirundu ports of entry pushed these countries to think out new avenues,” said economic analyst, Elliot Lumbe.
“It means Zimbabwe must put its house in order as far as acceleration of infrastructural development to do with transport is concerned.
“There is need specifically to speed up the dualisation of the Beitbridge-Chirundu highway for traffic flowing into Zambia, DRC and Tanzania,” he added.