Kasumbalesa congestions could reach Kitwe

ZAMBIA Revenue Authority (ZRA) Commissioner General Kingsley Chanda has proposed that a technical team be put in place to address the worsening congestion at Kasumbalesa Border Post which has resulted in the long queue of trucks going beyond Chingola onto the Chingola-Kitwe Road

Mr Chanda said ZRA was concerned with the worsening congestion at the border, not only because of revenue, but also the safety of truck drivers who were being made to spend four to five days at the border.

Mr Chanda was speaking yesterday when he met acting provincial director of Directorate General of Customs and Excise in Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Bernard Bosele Pilipili.

In response, Mr Pilipili said he was equally concerned with the congestion where trucks had now reached Chingola and fully welcomed the proposal to come up with a technical committee to deal with the problem.

Mr Pilipili said, during earlier meetings with the relevant authorities in Zambia, they had put in place a number of measures aimed at addressing the problem which included extending the operating hours from 06.00 hours to 20.00hours.

He said the rehabilitations which were being carried out on the DRC side which included extending and rehabilitating the truck stops and some roads were affecting the flow of trucks into the DRC.

"We are carrying out rehabilitation works which are likely to be completed in the next 30 days. After the 30 days, we will be able to increase the number of trucks entering the DRC.

"However, we welcome the proposal that a technical team be put in place to address the problem of congestion at the border. We are also concerned that queues of trucks are getting longer and going beyond the DRC,'' Mr Pilipili said.

And speaking earlier on the Zambian side, ZRA Commissioner for Customs Services Sydney Chibbabuka said there were plans to extend the hours of operation from 06.00hours to 22.00hours to help address the problem of congestion.

Mr Chibbabbuka said the Congolese authorities had agreed to the proposal and that the ZRA would write to the Ministry of Finance regarding the proposal.

"Our main concern is that if the trucks take long at the border, we may have health hazards. The long the trucks wait at the border, they affect other trucks,'' Mr Chibbabuka said.