Zim, Botswana in railway pact

Zim Now Writer

The National Railway of Zimbabwe on Friday signed an agreement with the Botswana Railway that is aimed at improving efficiency in service delivery by the two entities.

NRZ General Manager Respina Ziyanduko said the agreement will allow for smooth flow of traffic between the two countries.

The “Through Working Agreement” where the Botswana locomotives and wagons will go through to Bulawayo and also the NRZ when it brings traffic meant for Botswana will take it right through to Francistown about 100 kilometres either side.

“This will assist us in terms of smooth working, especially for the benefit of our customers. We had situations whereby traffic would go for three to four days waiting for locomotives from either side.

“With the agreement, we are going to have a situation whereby traffic does not stop at Plumtree but go through all the way to its destination thus bringing operational efficiency and also expediting movement of customer goods to their destination,” she said.

NRZ Director of Operations Palalani Mari said the partnership would enhance operational movement as many customers were shunning the use of railway due to delays.

“This agreement came to be after a series of interactions between the two countries. Our interactions were informed by our strategies. If you look at our strategies, there is a pillar of customer satisfaction.

“You will agree with me that as NRZ and BR, we have bottlenecks both affected by internal and external factors. When we looked at ourselves internally, we said we were not efficient in as far as service delivery is concerned,” he said.

In the past, locomotives from Botswana would make a U-turn in Plumtree and wait for locomotives in Zimbabwe to continue with the goods.