TRANSPORTERS WANT IMPLEMENTATION OF LAWS

By Arnel Chitundu

 GOVERNMENT ministries are now responding favourably to the interventions made by the Head of State President Hakainde Hichilema to prioritizing local Zambians in the transport sector, Transporters Association of Zambia (PTAZ) has said.

PTAZ Secretary General Benson Tembo told The Scoop in an interview that Zambian transporters had challenges to find who was exporting and importing commodities because this was only known between the buyers and sellers.

 He stated that unfair trading had completely blacked out local transporters, and in many cases having only logistic companies and owners of goods favoured.

 “President Hakainde Hichilema was clear when he instructed that a team be constituted to look at all issues raised by transporters and drivers’ representatives.

 “Zambian transporters reliance is on Statutory Instrument (SI), number 35 of 2021, which instructs importers and exporters while in business must ensure at least 50 percent of goods are transported by local citizens,” Mr. Tembo said.

 He said the President emphasized that priority shall be given to local citizens, as he spoke from the law which had existed for some time but lacked implementation.

 “We have given the ministry of SME a list of logistic companies and oil marketing companies that are importing fuel and using foreign transporters and also a list of Mines in Zambia that are exporting over 800,000 tonnes of copper to foreign companies without using Zambian transporters”, he said.

 And Mr Tembo further said the Government noted with concern abrogation by exporters and importers of the Citizens Economic Empowerment (CEEC) Act number 9 of 2006 on transportation of heavy and bulk commodities by road (reservation) regulations 2021.

 He said exporters and importers had continued to abrogate the law by engaging foreign transporters to move goods by road within Zambia, at the expense of the local transporters.

 Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprise Development Permanent Secretary Subeta Mutelo urged transporting companies to engage the ministry whenever they faced challenges or observed an illegality being done by an exporter or importer.

 She assured all players in the transport sector that the government was taking serious steps into ensuring the law was adhered to by all players and contracts in the transportation of heavy and bulk commodities by road were given to local transporters.

 And she disclosed that the ministry had since started orienting authorized officers to enforce the Act to benefit the Zambian people.