(left) addresses new Zambia Railways Board members at his office as
the new Board Chairperson Davies Chama looks on in Lusaka
Government says it has raised over K 18.63 million in the last six months from toll gates fitted on some selected points on some roads in the country.
Transport, Works, Supply and Communications Minister,Yamfwa Mukanga said the money was raised through a pilot project involving seven toll gates that have been erected on weigh bridges and that only trucks passing through the seven bridges are currently being levied.
Mr. Mukanga said government has currently seen great potential in raising more finances for carrying out more sustainable maintenance of existing roads and those being constructed.
He said they will roll-out to other roads and also put up actual toll gates instead of using weigh bridges to collect the toll fees so that they can capture smaller vehicles under the system.
ZANI9S reports that the Minister was speaking when he made a presentation at the 2014 Africa Ports and Harbours show at Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, today.
The Show is a platform where countries speak about their investment potential to prospective investors.
This was contained in statement availed to ZANIS by High Commission of Zambia in South Africa, Press Secretary Nicky Shabolyo.
And the minister told the gathering that government was targeting at diverting transportation of all heavy cargo from the road to the railway network by 2016.
He stated that they repossessed the Zambia Railways from Rails System of Zambia to prevent further damage to the road and improve the rail system which had suffered deterioration due to lack of re-investment.
He said the railway system in the country had deteriorated to levels where trains cannot move at more than 20 kilometres per hour.
“With such low levels of spead, transit time obviously becomes longer and in the process the cost of doing business becomes unbearable,” he said.
Mr. Mukanga said Zambia was committed to regional growth and economic integration through an efficient, cost effective and fully integrated transport infrastructure that adequately meets the needs of the region.
He stated that road projects such as the Link Zambia 8000 and the rail lines being constructed were part of the vision of linking the country to other countries.
Mr. Mukanga pointed out that five railway projects meant to connect major transport corridors were currently being developed as part of Zambia’s efforts to link the region and the projects include the Chingola-Sol-Jimbe railway line,Nseluka-Mpulungu,Chipata-TazaraMpika,Kafue Lion’s den and Livingstone Katima Mulilo rail project.
He also disclosed that government has invested over US$50m in maritime transportation development but this fell below the required levels of investment to make the sector efficient.
Mr. Mukanga said potential investors can also take advantage of the current lack of investment in dry ports, lack of bigger passenger and cargo vessels on lakes and lack of investment in maritime infrastructure.
ARE THESE THE TOLL GATES IN THE PICTURE? WHY CAN’T YOU PROVIDE AT LEAST AN IMAGE OF A TOLL GATE SO THAT WE KNOW WHAT EXACTLY YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. TOLL GATES ARE A NEW THING IN ZAMBIA. HOW AND WHERE DO YOU EXPECT A STUDENT TO LEARN FROM IF HE/SHE WANTS TO KNOW WHAT A TOLL GATE IS? POOR JOURNALISM, INDEED.
I feel your pain! But what do you expect from Journalists who were trained by Hamasaka? The chap was only good at arranging trips to the Kuomboka ceremony and chalk bonus
what will this money b used for…… elections
AT QUEEN ELIZABETH BRIDGE IN DARTFORD, THATS JUST FOR ONE DAY’S COLLECTION. BUT THATS NOT BAD. AT LEAST WE STARTED THE IDEA OF TOLL GATES.
Why should you compare Dartfors tunnel /Queen Elizabeth bridge with this project? Is that necessary? The most important things is we have a visition, besides Dartford/ Elizabeth is a work in progress too, you have to start from somewhere
And some anti PF fanatics were busy condemning the plan by the government to introduce toll gates. People like Wnzelu, dudelove, ndobo, matipa, Engineer(Australia), ganger farmer were busy condemning the idea. To them as long as it is coming from PF, it doesn’t make sense. What kind of hatred do these dull chaps have? You can even see that positive news like this is not pleasing to them. They won’t comment at all.
Tolling sitikana, manje ka tollingidwe – apa na apa sure! 5 toll-points from Kazungula to Ndola sure!
Ati “sitikana manje ka tollingidwe “…( we in English ) muli na wa ndani? Na Hamasaka,Himambo na HH?
Bwana Minister, its not how much you collect, but what you do with what you collect.
nothing new. Toll fees have always been collected at weigh bridges.
Iyeeee.ndeloleshafye
Good Revenues for Future more can be obtained thru e-toil supporting less traffic congestion thru mounted electronic sensors on vehicle like dash boards and number plates for local vehicles and may be thru weigh bridges and point of entry for foreign
If you follow the Transport industry, physical toil gates have been replaced with electronic capturing toils allowing the motorists to move along with minimal traffic conjection and pay at specified monthly interval or through some vending system
Good revenue streams
“Give to Cesar what belongs to Cesar” High Food, Transport prices, choke the common man till he has nothing left. We should have plans on having an affordable and reliable public transport too.
Toll gates are usually associated with high-ways. Unfortunately we do not have any of these.
Does this mean trucks stop paying there road taxes ?
Toll gates in ZAMBIA OMG WASTE OF TIME, TOO MUCH CORRUPTION. ARE U SURE WE HAVE THOSE RAILWAY PROJECTS IN ZAMBIA , SHED MORE LIGHT MR MINISTER
AMANO YAPA ZAMBIA,EVERYTHING POORLY BUILT YET MILLIONS ARE SAID TO HAVE BEEN SPENT,WHY DONT YOU HAVE UNIFORMED GOVERNMENT BUILDING PLANS?stop short cuts BA KABWA build a proper automated toll gates not those DIRTY drums,as i pay i should be appreciating and smiling while admiring the beauty of a proper toll gate.EMBRACE MODERN THINGS NOT ALWAYS NYAMULENGE STYLE.YAMFWA IFIKO TUU.
I see Mukanga getting more Fatter soon