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More efficient Botswana/Mozambique-link soon?
Are Gaborone and Maputo going to be linked by a faster rail route? This scenario may well come about should talks allegedly underway between the governments of Botswana and Mozambique reach fruition, with a memorandum of understanding in the offing.
According to the Botswana Gazette, after a preliminary visit to Mozambique by Botswanan Minister of Mineral, Energy and Water Resources Dr Ponatshego Kedikilwe last month, a memorandum of understanding is expected to be signed soon.
President Armando Guebuza of Mozambique also mentioned the mooted link recently during a visit to Botswana. Speaking at the opening of a psychiatric hospital in Lobatse, Guebuza said, ”We took advantage of this visit to broach other issues concerning bilateral cooperation. A memorandum will be signed for the building of a shorter railway to link the two countries."
The two countries are currently linked by rail via Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, a very circuitous, time-consuming route. The most vital service that a more direct route would provide Botswana would be the capacity to import fuel via Maputo more efficiently.
A joint commission intended to deal with matters such as transport and communications is said to have been set up by the two governments.
According to transport consultant Mike Fitzmaurice, rail plays an important role in Botswana's transport policy.
"Botswana currently has a large percentage of its containerized goods ex Durban railed directly from the harbour to Gabcon in Gaborone; even secondhand cars are transported this way to bonded facilities in Gabs. It is much cheaper and does not require raising an additional bond as is the case with road transport as it is railed on from Durban carriage forward. It is only break/bulk cargo that is transported by road and mostly from South African exporters to Botswana."
Fitzmaurice notes that a border post survey conducted at Skilpadshek near Zeerust last year en route to the Maputo corridor indicated that the amount of trucks using Maputo as an import port has increased sharply. He said that this could perhaps be attributed to Maputo's drive to compete against the notoriously congested port of Durban. Maputo has lower port charges than Durban and offers a closer, more direct route to Botswana.
"These factors could be influencing Botswana's decision to go this route, however I don't think it will impact trade ex Durban and will probably help decongest Durban if nothing else," concluded Fitzmaurice.
Given Botswana and Mozambique's relative geographical locations, it is worth noting that the rumoured 'more direct route' would still have to cross at least one other country and thus necessitate political negotiations between the transport authorities of several nations. One assumes that the story will become considerably more complicated before it runs its course.
