Zambia yet to release timber trucks

BERNARD LUGONGO

OWNERS of trucks seized in Zambia carrying logs from DR Congo are counting a loss of 15bn/-. Their 600 trucks have been held for two months now. They are calling for immediate solution to the matter.

The Tanzania Trucks Owners Association (TATOA) said yesterday that they have communicated with the Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation over the urgency in releasing the trucks to avoid further suffering.

“We are happy that the government has received the matter with desired weight. It’s our hope that by next Tuesday as the government has promised, the solution would have been sought,” the Deputy Chairman of the TATOA, Mr Elias Lukumay, said at a news conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

Elaborating on the incurred losses, he said, for the period of two months, the trucks could have generated a total of 15bn/- should they have been operating for the fact that each of them could bring in 10,000 US Dollars for a return trip within that period.

The association went on raising concern over the predicament of the drivers and conductors (about 1,200 of them), who are stranded in the foreign country, saying that their safety and health were at risk due to insecurity at the DRC-Zambia border.

The Zambian government impounded the consignment after alleging that the logs were harvested in that country. However, Tatoa maintains that the logs were in transit to the Dar es Salaam Port from the DRC and the drivers had all documents to prove that the logs were from the DRC.

“The truck drivers fulfilled all customs procedures and were allowed to cross the DRC-Zambia border.

But they were later arrested in Zambia,” Mr Lukumay stated. Mr Peter Kirigini, one of the owners of seized trucks, said the solution must be quickly sought to maintain good trade relations between Tanzania and Zambia.

Mr Jumanne Brashi noted that he has to send the money to his stranded driver on daily basis to make him meet personal requirements while waiting for the release of the truck.

“This adds more losses to me.

The two governments should do something urgently,” he insisted. A representative of the Mature Logistics, Mr Japhet Peter, argued that the transport sector contributes significantly to the Tanzania economy and for the 600 trucks stop operating means reduce inflow of foreign currency into the country.