‘Engage Tazara to transport fuel’

GOVERNMENT should engage Tanzania Zambia Railways Authority (TAZARA) to transport fuel to curtail escalating fuel prices, Zambia Medium and Small-Scale Association (ZAMAST) Muchinga Province Regional Coordinator Kosphat Chitimbwa has said.

Mr Chitimbwa said Tazara has the capacity to transport cargo including fuel hence the need to engage the railway firm to transport the commodity on behalf of Government.

He said Tazara was facing financial challenges, hence the need to empower the firm through a contract to transport fuel.

Mr Chitimbwa said the company had demonstrated capacity to haul heavy cargo and therefore should be given a contract to transport fuel from Dar-es-salaam to Ndola.

He said it was unfortunate that Government had continued to empower foreign transporters when Tazara has capacity to transport the commodity.

"We want to appeal to Government to use Tazara to transport fuel. It will be cheaper and it will be one way of revamping it, especially that it is not doing so well," Mr Chitimbwa said.

He said Tazara was currently limping and there was urgent need for Government to revamp it by awarding contracts to transport fuel.

"Why should we continue awarding contracts to transport fuel to foreign transporters when he have our own institutions like Tazara that have the capacity to do that at much cheaper price?

"What we are saying is that engaging Tazara to transport fuel, this will be solving two problems at the same time. One will be revamping Tazara and the other one will be curtailing high fuel prices because it will be much cheaper to use rail transport," Mr Chitimbwa said.

Mr Chitimbwa said the move would also encourage neighbouring countries to use Tazara to ferry fuel, thereby revamped the institution.