New credit act restricts growth for small business

SMALLER BUSINESSES
looking to expand to take
advantage of the thriving
freighting market are
struggling to secure loans to
take operations forward.
“We have looked into
getting our own trucks
to meet the ample cargo
suppliers on hand, but the
banks are very sticky about
awarding loans, even when
I can get a signed 5-year
contract,” transport broker
Justin Benade of J and F
Freight told FTW.
Benade feels the National
Credit Act is stunting the
growth prospects of a
number of smaller and
emerging freight businesses.
“There is a need for fifty
tippers on one hand, and
that’s one dot. You have on
the other hand a transporter
who can supply fifty trucks,
and that’s another dot.
That’s where I come in. I
connect the dots,” Benade
explained. “It’s a matter of
getting the timing right, but
at this stage, there is a gross
shortage of trucks available
to meet the available loads.”
The company services
the Zambian and Angolan
markets as well as those in
Botswana and Mozambique.
“Our local operations are
also taking off, and with
the seasonal citrus exports
coming up, we are going to
be very busy over the next
few months.”