(3 Minutes Read)
The operators report that, despite the border being open 24 hours a day, lack of flexibility sometimes means they wait up to three days, incurring additional costs.
Long-distance freight carriers that use the Machipanda border are asking the authorities of both Mozambique and Zimbabwe to find ways to make customs clearance at the border more flexible, especially on the Zimbabwean side.
The operators report that, despite the border being open 24 hours a day, lack of flexibility sometimes means they wait up to three days, incurring additional costs. They find it strange that, even when leaving Mozambique for Zimbabwe with an empty truck, they are forced to wait in line. However, in the last few days of last week, the queue of trucks fell from around ten kilometers to just under three, as a result of the work coordinated by the two countries.
Sources from Customs in Manica province reported that the movement of trucks had increased in recent days due, in part, to the focus shifting to the Beira corridor since the intensification of the demonstrations restricted crossings at Ressano Garcia in Maputo province.
They also said that the authorities now face the challenge of controlling the increasing pressure at Machipanda while seeking solutions to the long waits for truck drivers and minimising the economic impact of congestion.
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Machipanda connects Mozambique and Zimbabwe via the N6/Beira corridor, one of the main routes used for the flow of various goods from the Port of Beira to the hinterland. It is estimated that 400 trucks pass through Machipanda every day from Mozambique to Zimbabwe, Zambia, DR Congo, and Botswana.
