La ck of funding remains the biggest stumbling block when it comes to corridor development in southern Africa.Budget constraints and a lack of will by government agencies to prioritise such developments have seen corridors battle a multitude of challenges which require urgent attention. From regulatory disharmony to weak infrastructure and poor network connectivity, African corridors are often associated with excessive congestion, delays, long transit times and high logistics costs.“There is also a lack of the necessary expertise to ensure that corridors are developed in the most effective manner possible,” says Jannrick Bezuidenhout, international trade adviser for the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff ). “This is aggravated by the barriers caused by unsynchronised customs systems between countries and even disconnection between two countries with the same system, for example, Asycuda in Zambia and Zimbabwe. The transport industry suffers from arbitrary changes to regulations, lack of forewarnings, the continual increase in charges for all sorts of imaginary border costs, carbon, inspections, registration, parking, and the like. The continual harassment by police means that a vehicle can be stopped 20 to 30 times between Durban and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with a suggestion of “gratifications” at each stop.”Bezuidenhout says countries in southern Africa must prioritise the conversion of their land border posts to One-Stop Border Posts (OSBPs) which will allow cargo to be cleared through the borders more efficiently. Experience in the East African Community (EAC) region at more than 20 border posts, however, has shown that the OSBP alone is not enough to improve freight movement. “It must be accompanied by customs system integration such as risk management procedures, preclearance, and minimal physical inspections. The OSBPs should further be accompanied by digitalised customs procedures, such as uniform Single Window Systems (SWS), or a single customs territory as seen in the EAC, which will also enable cargo to be cleared through the borders more efficiently - and ultimately facilitate trade and enhance customs compliance.”According to Bezuidenhout, corridor development is a crucial aspect of trade facilitation as most southern African countries have inadequate infrastructure, which adds unnecessary time and costs to international trade transactions. “The drive globally has focused a lot on “near-shoring” and increased regional integration. However, thanks to the impasse with trading under the dream of the African Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Africa does not trade with itself.”In recent years, he says, South Africa’s rail infrastructure has diminished significantly and has minimal relevance for interstate trade except for one line to Maputo. “Within South Africa, the deterioration of railways is causing a R50-billion loss of coal export sales per annum. There is therefore extensive reliance on cargo being conveyed by road. Subsequently, the supply chain is not operating at an optimum, which is deterring trade. Furthermore, many regional border posts were designed in the 1950s and 1960s and are simply inadequate to handle the current volumes experienced today. Therefore, infrastructure development for both road and rail is crucial.”He says it is essential that the rail system is revived to reduce the volume of domestic and export cargo being conveyed by road. Not only will the revival of the rail system sustain the road infrastructure, but if railways are redeveloped to handle breakbulk cargo, they will also ease congestion at the land borders and could ultimately reduce the time and costs associated with trade.“Corridor and infrastructural development is fundamental. It is recommended that priority is given to the corridors which connect South Africa and Zimbabwe, Zambia, and DRC, which are identified as the Beitbridge border post, the corridor via Martins Drift and Kazungula.”
