THE ZAMBIA & CONGO DR BORDERS SHADOW BOXING IS NOT GOOD FOR BOTH COUNTRIES, ENTIRE SOUTHERN AFRICA, SADC & THE AU- Miles Sampa
By Miles B. Sampa, MP
August 13th, 2024
My take on the Zambia DRC border closure be it temporal is that it’s not good for the ordinary citizens of both Countries, COMESA & SADC Regions.
As known by most DRC imports via Zambian roads machinery, equipment & vehicles from SA and via SA ports from Europe, Asia & USA. Similar imports into DRC also pass through Zambia from Namibia and Mozambique ports.
Then foodstuff like tomatoes, onions, vegetables, fruits, chicken, goats etc is trekked from all provinces of Zambia to DRC through the Kasumbalesa border in Chililabombwe. Uniquely is the frozen fish imported from China via Namibia that is a hot cake at Kasumbalesa border. As soon as refrigerated trucks arrive from Windhoek via Lusaka, DRC wholesale traders buy bulk in wheelbarrow or bicycles to go resale into DRC to as far as Kinshasa.
From the DRC side, its mostly Copper exports though now after Zambia’s northern circuits roads were fixed, from about 2017 they mostly use the pedicle route into Mansa border to Nakonde then Dar.
Very little is imported out of DRC into Zambia for consumption via Kasumbalesa border. It’s mostly Copper trucks destined for the Durban port.
By banning some products at its border, DRC is playing illegal economics politics with Zambia. We however did not need to hit back and close the borders. Diplomatic dialogue is the best solution and always wins.
Closed borders into DRC will indirectly lead to less traffic at both Chirundu and Nakonde borders and our duty revenue will slump. Just a day loss of this revenue will shake our treasury.
Tax revenue is already a challenge and we can’t afford to lose income from goods and services passing through Zambia to DRC.
DRC and Zambia are both members of SADC and protocals do not allow banning of any commodity trading as DRC has done. This more so at a time the Africa Union-AU is pushing for the the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) that has to create a single continental market for goods and services in Africa.
Zambia is a signatory to SADC & COMESA trade agreements therein do not allow banning of any member Country’s products. Todate despite complaints from local farmers, Tomatoes and Onion from SA are still found on shelves inside ShopRite supermarket found everywhere in Zambia.
So where has DRC (a members of both SADC & COMESA) got the guts from to ban beverages made in Zambia?
The faster politicians on either side dialogue, the better for the entire region. Zambia should engage the SADC (President EDM) and COMESA (President HH..I think) Chairpersons to intervene urgently.
Even SADC’s Troika ( Committee for 3 Heads of State) on conflict resolution should be triggered to get involved immediately.
The Pan Africa Parliament where I am a member is on recess now otherwise I would have lobbied majority SADC MPs to raise a Motion against DRC trade restrictions on Zambia. I will however still engage the Parliament President (Zimbabwean) to alert him of this rather unfortunate DRC inter trade ‘misconduct’.