KASUMBALESA CONGESTION TO REDUCE - MINISTER
THE traffic congestion at Kasumbalesa border post in Chililabombwe is expected to reduce following a number of measures which have been put in place including increasing operational hours from 06:00hours to 22.00hours.
Previously the border closed at 18:00 hours.
There has been an increase in the number of trucks which have been entering the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through the Kasumbalesa border Post.
Authorities in that country had reduced the number of trucks entering through Kasumbalesa from 500 to 200 on a daily basis to facilitate for the construction of a truck stop. Copperbelt Minister Japhen Mwakalombe at the weekend conducted a spot-check at the border. Mr Mwakalombe said in an interview that about 700 trucks entered DRC on Friday following increased hours of operation. The Minister said same number of trucks was cleared on Saturday and the situation would continue to improve. “So far, there has been an improvement in terms of the movement of trucks entering the DRC. On Friday, 700 trucks passed through the border. We are expecting the same number of trucks to enter the border even today.
“We are hoping that the situation will continue to improve, especially with the increasing number of operational hours from 06.00hours to 22.00hours,’’ Mr Mwakalombe said. Chililabombwe District Commissioner (DC) Paul Mulenga said in a separate interview that there had been an improvement. The queue of trucks congestion which had stretched to Chingola had now reduced though at Kafue Bridge on the Chililabombwe- Chingola road. Mr Mulenga said he was happy that there had been some improvement in the movement of trucks and was hoping the trend would continue so that the situation could normalize. But some drivers complained that they had been in the queue for five days and feared for the health as sanitation was a challenge. On Thursday last week, Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) Commissioner General Kingsley Chanda met acting Provincial Director of Directorate General of Customs and Excise in Katanga Province Bernard Bosele Pilipili to discuss the way forward.