Newsflash 782 of 08 February 2010


Newsflash 782 of 08 February 2010
Crucial Corridor Issues Tabled At MCLI Maputo Corridor Operational Efficiency Working Group Meeting In Nelspruit On The 4th And 5th Of = February

Dear MCLI Readers



Over 200 stakeholders joined the Maputo Corridor Logistics Initiative for a two day workshop in Nelspruit on Thursd= ay and Friday last week. Stakeholders from across the public and priva= te sector raised critical issues regarding the operational efficiency of the corridor, particularly with regard to the border post, customs issues and the serv= icing of the corridor by the rail service providers. The morning session kicked off with an update by= the Maputo Port Development Manager, Mr Rui Santana Afonso , who provided an insight into the port’s 20 year Master Plan to invest an envisaged USD748million in the next 20 years to bring the capacity of the port up f= rom 8million tons at present to 48 million tons by 2030. TRAC CEO, Arthur Coy , provided some key information on the impact of the road on the economy of= the region and the trajectory of increases in traffic growth on the corridor = year on year. The road has played a key role in, amongst others, the stimulation of cros= s border trade, and employment creation along the corridor and has created access to international tourism. In a summary of statistics over the December period, a mammoth 55,505 vehicles were processed through the Maputo = Toll= Plaza on the 23rd of December 2009. The remainder of the first day’s sessions dealt with the move towards customs modernisation in Mozambique within the framework of the World Customs Organisation, the non intrusive inspection of goods, the implementation of a single window system within = Mozambique and the modernisation initiatives by SARS which look at the electronic interf= ace of information for cargo movement across the border. It is heartening = that this region of SADC is speaking the same language and has the same object= ives via these improvements to ensure improved service delivery, to facilitate trade, reduce clearing times and to ensure predictability and supply chain security, and that the various initiatives will be enabled to talk to oth= er systems, thus ensuring key information exchange. These interventions are crucial to bringing greater efficiency to the cross border supply chain. Mr Victor Nunes, Pro= ject Manager for the Lebombo/Ressano Garcia One St= op Border Post and his Mozambican Counterpart from the Mozambican Revenue Authority, ATM, gave an update on the project which has suffered substant= ial financial setbacks due to the economic recession of 2009 and the availability of funding from the treasury to implement the initially plan= ned infrastructure. The contingency plan to cater for 2010 will focus on the completion of a freight bypass road at KM4 in Mozambican territory, a pedestrian facility= in SA which will be collocated, and the light vehicle facility in South Africa which will process busses and taxis going through the border post and work has already begun on the freight bypass road. Many challenges still remain on this project, not least of which are the legal issues which are myriad and complex, as well as the limited experience of both governments= in implementing one stop border post systems and infrastructure of the compl= exity of the Lebombo/Ressano Garcia one stop border= post. A proposal by MCLI to facilitate and participate= in a stakeholder engagement mechanism on this crucial project was given unanimous support by the meeting and this proposal will be forwarded to t= he One Stop Border Post principals in both countries so that it can be taken forward. Day two of the meeting began with MCLI’s So= uth African Chairperson, Dr Mathews Phosa, making an appeal to the revenue authorities of both countries, as well as Transnet Freight Rail and CFM to see the discussions of the meeting in the light of their seriousness and the wider economy and to optimise the corr= idor infrastructure investment to support national imperatives of the corridor countries. The day continued with a session on the importance of bilateral transit cargo flows on the corridor, and chairman of the MCLI Customs Committee, Mr Rui Santana Afonso , provided an insight into the = impact of bank guarantees on the competitiveness of the Maputo Port and the importance of bidirectional cargo flow in potentially halving the costs of the use of the port of Maputo. Mr Frans Visser of Röhlig Grindrod Mozambique took delegates through a step-by-step understanding of the process that needs to be followed by importers dealing with transit imports into the port of Maputo . The Citrus Growers Association’s Mitchell Brooke provided an in depth case study of the opportunities and challenges with regard to the citrus industry and the use of the <= st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">port of Maputo . Mr Fernando Anselmo of ATM pro= vided a clear understanding of the transit procedures as developed by SADC members states, and that this protocol would be implemented as part of the commitment of Mozambican customs to promoting fiscal reform and customs modernisation. The final session of the meeting was dedicated to rail issues and CFM’s David Gomes provided a comprehensive presentation which gave an overview of the line capacity of the Ressano Garcia line which cleared up the perception= s that the line has no capacity for cargo other than coal and magnetite. He emphasised the concern of the forum that Transnet freight Rail was still charging a discriminatory rate for the Maputo line and MCLI was mandated to draft a proposal to the utility to ensure t= hat the rail supported the port’s projected growth over the next 20 yea= rs. The Maputo Corridor Flagship’s Dr Paulo Fernandes presented an update on the flagship projects, including the establishment of a passeng= er clearance facility at Komatipoort which would ensure that train passengers did not have to travel to the current border post for immigration and customs clearance. A repetitive theme through the meeting was the need for the 24 hour joint O= ne Stop Border Post at Lebombo/Ressano Garcia to= be implemented and for customs systems to be aligned for efficient clearing. A very gratifying outcome of the meeting was a renewed openness and commitment on the part of the revenue and customs authoritie= s to engage directly with MCLI and stakeholders to ensure that the necessary efficiencies are brought to this strategic corridor. The presentations of the two days can be viewed here




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Best Re= gards = Brenda Horne-Ferreira CEO M= APUTO CORRIDOR LOGISTICS INITIATIVE= Incorporated under sect 21- 2004/007466/08 brenda.horne@mcli.co.za Tel: +27 (0)13 755 6025 &n= bsp; Mobile (SA): +27 (0)82 802 2338 <= b> Fax: +27 (0)13 752 5453 Mobile (MOZ): +258 84 397 4180<= /strong> Unit 28, Block C, <= st1:place w:st=3D"on">Central Park, 12 Suikerriet Street, PO Box 19777, Nelspruit 1= 200 http://www.mcli.co.za = Working together to make the Maputo Corridor = First choice for the regions importers & exporters. To remove your = name from our mailing list, please = click here. Click to downlo= ad the Adobe® Reader® free of charge only if you are unable to open the a= bove files Questions or comments? E-mail us a= t brenda.horne@mcli.co.za or call +27 13 755 6025 Click HERE to view our disclaimer

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