SA chairs the Trans Kalahari Corridor

South Africa has taken over the chair of the Trans Kalahari Corridor

Transport Minister Blade Nzimande commended the strides made by the Trans Kalahari Corridor (TKC) when he took over as chairperson in September.

South Africa took over the chair of the TKC during the meeting of Southern African Development Community (SADC) Ministers of ICT,Transport and Meteorology, which was held in Namibia.

“South Africa is gratified to be handed the chairpersonship of the TKC. I must take this opportunity to congratulate Namibia for having steered this organisation and for achieving so much during its chairpersonship,” Minister Nzimande said at the time.

The TKC, a tripartite transboundary corridor management institution, was established with a political and economic vision to pursue deeper regional integration programmes of the SADC, Southern African Customs Union and the New Partnership for Africa's Development.

Coast-to-Coast Corridor

The road network spans 1 900km, across Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. It starts in Gauteng and continues through Rustenburg and Zeerust in the North West; Lobatse and Kanye in Botswana; the Mamuno and Trans Kalahari border posts; and Gobabis, Windhoek and Okahandja in Namibia to the Port of Walvis Bay.

The Port of Walvis Bay, on the west coast of Namibia, strategically links to other corridors in

the sub-region, namely the Trans Kunene Corridor, Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi (Trans Caprivi) Corridor, Windhoek-Luanda Corridor and the Trans Oranje Corridor. Road network linkages cut across these corridors, creating a strategic network.The TKC also connects the Port of Walvis Bay with the Maputo Corridor, resulting in the Coast-to-Coast Corridor.

The TKC is known for providing a short transport link across the southern african sub-continent. Compared to traditional routes, via southern Namibia to Gauteng, the TKC cuts the distance by 400km, making it a preferred route and providing cost-effective logistical advantages to users.

“The corridor plays a pivotal role in the economic development of all of its member states and the region, particularly in anchoring the development of industries and business along the corridor,” said Minister Nzimande, who took over the position of TKC chairperson from Namibia's Minister of Transport Alpheus !Naruseb.

“I am happy with the strides that we have made. Among the milestones achieved the introduction of the Custom Single Administration Document, completion of the feasibility study on truck stops, development of harmonised weighbridges, harmonisation of axle load limits from 8.2 to nine tonnes and the introduction of joint law enforcement operations across the member states.

“I would also like to congratulate Namibia on its port expansion in Walvis Bay.This will bring more capacity to the western seaboard, which includes ports in South Africa. We need to ensure that our ports complement each other, instead of competing against each other, to improve the regional value chain,” he added.

Growth challenges

The Minister highlighted the key challenges that hinder growth and trade within the SADC region as poor infrastructure, low-density across transport networks, inefficient border processes and fragmented regulatory environments.

He said that if SADC is to attain its goal of creating a seamless, cost-effective and fully–integrated region; road, rail and port systems are required to secure the region's future.“The TKC development can serve as a good guide for the overall attainment of this regional developmental goal.

“This corridor should help us ensure that we trade among each other and replace imports from the rest of the world, especially those coming from outside of our continent. Equally important, the corridor should help us beyond trade liberalisation by reducing uncertainties, improving our credibility and making it easier for the private sector to plan and invest in it,” Minister Nzimande said.

He added that there is a need to adopt unified positions on issues of mutual interest, and the development will help the region to negotiate trade and international commodity agreements with third parties and assist to safeguard common regional interests.

“I would like to thank everyone for ensuring that the TKC has been growing abundantly, with practical economic development achieved along the corridor.

“However, as South Africa, we believe that more can be done to exploit our unique characters and variant positions in advancing our common interests as member states,” he said.

The Minister explained that landlocked countries within the region require efficient transport links to and from the sea to enjoy competitive prices for import and export markets.

“Most ports within the region operate near capacity and experience delays due to poor integration with other transport modes and slow clearance processes. We therefore need to deepen our integration so that we maximise our trade creation and trade diversion.

“This will assist us to ensure that we have a shift in production

from the high- to the low-cost countries and reduce the costs of doing business amongst member states,” he confirmed.

Fourth Industrial Revolution

Minister Nzimande said that we are entering the Fourth Industrial Revolution and thus must be able to capacitate our countries in line with this global phenomenon.

“We therefore need to modernise our transport infrastructure, which includes working with our research institutions to find common solutions to common and diverse challenges in the region.

“South Africa is exploring the possibilities of establishing transport hubs throughout our provinces.These hubs will serve as centres of excellence on transport-related matters and will assist the region at large to better plan transport infrastructure.”

The Minister stressed that for the benefit of all TKC member states, the TKC must move swiftly to harmonise transport regulations and ICT systems to ensure seamless movement at ports of entry.“This will ensure that we are also able to deal with organised crime at these centres,” he said.

Transformation

The Minister said that member states need to focus on transformation policies, that include private sector participation, to create quality jobs for communities.

“This should include a key focus on implementing decisions that are taken at this level. In June 2018 South Africa launched its national committee and we hope that other TKC member states will launch their committees soon.

“I think we will all agree that robust economic transformation is key to shaping our ability to generate inclusive growth and tackle serious challenges, such as poverty, inequality and unemployment,” he said.

Joint law enforcement

The seventh joint law enforcement operation along the TKC, which aimed to promote safety and security compliance, was launched in Swakopmund in September.

“South Africa is looking forward to hosting the next joint law enforcement operation, which will take place from 4 to 11 November in Rustenburg,” the Minister said.