Speaker Ndugai wants Government to review Wharfage regulations on goods from Zanzibar

By The Citizen Reporter

Dodoma — Speaker of Parliament Job Ndugai has asked the government on Monday, June 10, 2019, to review its regulations on Wharfage charges on goods from Zanzibar.

The move, Mr Ndugai said, will help to reduce the number of complaints from Tanzanians travelling between Tanzania Mainland and the Isles.

Under Tanzania Ports Authority's (TPA's) Tariff Book, Wharfage is charged on business goods from Zanzibar entering Tanzania mainland.

It is also charged on any consignment that exceeds a 21 kilogrammes ceiling.

"This must be reviewed. 21 kilogrammes is just too small. Even a single suitcase of a student will exceed that weight. If it is a question of regulations, you can simply review them. Even in the airplane, it is still about 20 kilogrammes," he said.

Mr Ndugai's sentiments followed a question from Ms Maryam Msabaha (Special Seats - Chadema) who said Tanzanians, travelling between the mainland and Zanzibar, were subjected to a Wharfage of Sh9,750 even on a bag of rice weighing between 10 to 20 kilogrammes.

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But responding to the question, the Deputy Minister for Works, Transport and Communications, Mr Elias Kwandikwa, said no charge is applied to travellers with personal effects weighing below 21 Kilogrammes.

He said the government will foster its public awareness programmes to ensure that no traveler carrying personal effects weighing below 21 kilogrammes is subjected to any form of payments at the Port of Dar es Salaam.