EDITORIAL COMMENT: Forbes Border road upgrade laudable

30 Jun, 2017 - 00:06 0 Views

The ManicaPost

MUTARE is called the Eastern Gateway to the sea because of the Forbes Border Post that links Zimbabwe with neighboring Mozambique.

Over the years trade volumes have increased exponentially at the point of entry as evidence by increased traffic and human flow which is handled daily by authorities manning the border.

Decades ago, only a handful of clearing agents operated at the border but the numbers have swelled — an indication of increased business.

Despite all this increasing business activity, the road that connects commercial and human traffic to the border remained a narrow strip, resulting in heavy congestion that delayed business transactions.

Elsewhere in this issue we carry a story in which Government has began reconstructing the road to cater for increased traffic and enhance the ease of doing business.

That noble infrastructure development initiative has crossed the path of clearing agents who had built their makeshift offices on the edges of the road.

They were ordered to vacate to pave way for road maintenance.

These agents were paying rentals to Mutare Rural District Council and they view their occupation legal.

After being served with a two-week ultimatum to vacate their premises and relocate, the agents through their association the Shipping and Forwarding Agents’ Association of Zimbabwe mutinied.

Their cause was genuine but we have to see the bigger picture.

SFAA appealed to Government for more time to relocate their members’ offices saying they must be compensated for the buildings they constructed.

The association said the agents were paying rentals to council, which meant that their structures were legal and therefore they should not be demolished.

Yes, their arguments are justified but the bigger picture here is the promotion of trade at the border.

Yes, in the interim the agents might cry foul and incur some unplanned costs because of the evictions but they have a bright future ahead of them once that road has been widened to cater for more terrific.

Congestion will be greatly reduced at the border, which inevitably means smooth business for these agents, who were previously operating from makeshift structures that were precariously built along the road.

Our advice to these agents is that they should not waste time but quickly relocate their offices to the new spacious ground and set camp.

All these developments happening at the border are meant to make it an international point of entry that meets global standards.

What is certain is that more traffic will pass through the border as soon as that road is upgraded.

Some transporters who were using other entry points to move their cargo will certainly prefer Forbes in the event of reduced congestion and the quick processing of shipping documents.

Forbes Border Post is a major regional transit point and the upgrading of the road is most welcome.

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