ZAMBIAN TANKER DRIVERS CRY FOUL

Sat, 06 Jan 2018 11:31:49 +0000

By Bennie Mundando

AUTHORITIES in Tanzania are reportedly penalising Zambian tanker drivers for overstaying in Tunduma owing to the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) system failure at Nakonde border post.

As a result, ZRA officials are taking long to clear trucks, according to the Petroleum Transporters Association of Zambia (PTAZ).

The association complained that its members were not happy with the manner marooned tanker drivers were being treated by Tanzanian officials.

And PTAZ has advised ZRA to reciprocate by charging Tanzanian tankers whom they say freely roam the country after delivering their consignments, without attracting any fines as the case was in their country.

PTAZ secretary general Benson Tembo yesterday told the Daily Nation that the Tanzania Revenue Authority was charging Zambian tankers that were marooned in Tunduma awaiting clearance by ZRA for overstaying without engaging their counterparts to understand the cause of the problem was.

Mr. Tembo said while Tanzanian trucks could operate in Zambia for as long as they wished after delivering their commodities to a point of engaging in other local fuel deliveries, Zambian tanker drivers were at the mercy of that country’s revenue authority.

Mr Tembo added that the drivers were allegedly being charged for nearly everything.

“When they saw that the Zambian trucks were traversing their country, they introduced E-seals which they are using for tracking our tankers where we are paying an average of US$70 each time we load.

“With the E-seals, it means when there is a ZRA system failure, we are surcharged for delaying. We are made to pay an equivalent of about K250 per truck and this is not fair because it is not the fault of the driver.

“The Tanzania Revenue Authority has used all the loopholes available to frustrate Zambians. “You remember that they started with the issue of visas where we were paying US$200 and it was only after Government intervened that is when a waiver was made but that came after we had already paid colossal amounts of money,” Mr. Tembo said.

He said Zambian tanker drivers and petroleum companies were allegedly being frustrated by Tanzanian authorities because they wanted to safeguard haulage contracts for their local companies.

He said these complaints have been raised by the association to the ZRA who in turn had done nothing to protect the interest of local transporters.