KATIMA MULILO – Cross-border truck drivers operating between Walvis Bay and Zambia say escalating transit permit fees are threatening their livelihoods and undermining regional trade.
Speaking to New Era recently, on behalf of fellow drivers at Katima Mulilo before crossing the border en route to DRC, cross-border trucker Nyathi Dingani said the cost of Zambia’s transit permit has risen sharply over the years.
“The idea is not really a bad idea, but the cost of it became really a concern,” he stated. The driver said the permit – a plastic identification card issued by Zambia’s Department of Immigration – was introduced several years ago to address the 90-day visitor limit applied to foreign nationals. Drivers, who frequently enter and exit Zambia, often exhaust those 90 days within months due to long turnaround times.
“To go into Zambia alone, it can take between 10 and 17 days, sometimes 21 days. Within six months, you find the 90 days are finished,” narrated Dingani.
While the permit was meant to cushion drivers, he said the cost had escalated dramatically to around K1 500 (approximately N$1 274.49) before 2021. From there, the fees increased to about K2 500-K2 700 in 2021. Thereafter, the cost rose to roughly K3 700-K3 900 in 2022 before it spiked to K11 250 (approximately N$9 558.68) in 2023.
“We noted that the cost of that simple plastic is beyond the cost of an ordinary passport. An ordinary passport is valid for 10 years. But this plastic is only valid for 12 months,” the trucker lamented.
Dingani added that drivers who cannot afford the permit are denied entry at the border.
“Unless you pay for that permit, you are denied entry. You must go back to where you are coming from,” he said.
In cases where trucks are loaded with goods, including perishables, companies are forced to find Zambian drivers to take over.
“If that happens, the incumbent driver loses the job, and the other driver wins the job immediately. That is why we say it is unfair,” said Dingani.
Call for harmonisation
Dingani argued that Zambian truck drivers are not subjected to similar restrictions in neighbouring countries such as Namibia.
“In Namibia, they are not subjected to the 90-day story as long as they are drivers,” he said.
Truckers are calling for harmonised regional regulations in line with Africa’s free trade ambitions.
“We are talking about free trade and free movement of goods. With such restrictions, how are we going to achieve that?” asked Dingani.
The driver further said truckers have approached corridor authorities and the Namibian High Commission in Lusaka and written letters to relevant offices in Zambia, including the Department of Immigration.
A planned peaceful boycott on 23 February – where trucks would have been parked in protest – did not materialise due to fears of arrests and possible blacklisting. “We did not want to be violent or political. We only wanted our plea to be heard,” he said.
Despite frustrations, Dingani urged fellow drivers to remain respectful. “The Zambians are good people. The immigration officers are just enforcing what they are mandated to do. We are appealing to the leaders at the top to review this regulation,” said Dingani.