At the height of cross-border cargo traffic between Namibia and Angola, the Trans-Kunene Corridor carried about 400 trucks daily, making it the most successful route between the two countries, says Gilbert Boois, project manager at the Walvis Bay Corridor Group.According to Duncan Bonnett, director of Market Access and Research at trade facilitator Africa House, “Angola was awash with US dollars at one stage, and the corridor became the preferred way of getting supplies into southern Angola.”But then the oil price tanked, dragging along with it much of Angola’s economy.Now, the corridor through the border posts of Oshikango (Namibia) and Santa Clara (Angola) is a quiet road, impacting airfreight meant to support about 170 Cuban health workers spread out across Namibia.Says Antoinette du Plooy, co-owner of Universal Air Cargo Solutions: “It’s a real headache for us. TA AG (Angola Airlines) f lies to Havana once every two weeks, but how do I get my cargo to Windhoek?”For several reasons, she says, road freight on the Trans-Kunene has all but dried up.Instead of trucking freight from Luanda to Windhoek, some 2 000 kilometres down south, airfreight coming in from Havana for shippers in Namibia has to connect to the Namibian capital via Johannesburg.“It’s absurd,” says Du Plooy.“I have clients who have been waiting for a month for their cargo. They don’t understand why it’s taking so long, and the additional cost adds to their frustration.“From what we understand, difficult customs processes and bribery have made it a very difficult border for long-distance operators.”This is confirmed by co-owner of the general sales agent for Airlink, Duggie du Plooy.“It’s one of the most difficult borders to deal with. There are major delays and serious customs complications between the two countries. And once you’re in Angola, authorities will arrest you for the slightest thing and ask questions later.“The language barrier doesn’t help much either. They don’t speak English, and unless you’re Portuguese and know someone in the government, you could end up languishing in jail.
