Zambian officials to meet Congo DR over border congestion

By Teverai Dzeka

The government will meet officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) this Saturday to find solutions to the impasse at the Kasumbalesa Border, where more than 1,000 trucks are marooned.

The marooned trucks stretch for more than 50 kilometers from the Kasumbalesa Border in Chililabombwe to Chambeshi on the Copperbelt.

Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister, Chipoka Mulenga, says the meeting has been delayed because their counterparts on the DRC side were out of the country.

In a phone interview with ZNBC News, Mr. Mulenga said he will be accompanied to the meeting by Copperbelt Minister, Elisha Matambo.

Mr. Mulenga also disclosed that he has started engaging Ministers of Trade in the SADC region on the matter.

He added that he has had conversations with counterparts from two countries in the region and hopes to conclude the engagements with other nations in the bloc to reach a consensus on how to handle the situation.

Mr. Mulenga said the government has taken the initiative to engage Trade Ministers in SADC because trucks marooned at Kasumbalesa are coming from across the region, adding that the situation does not only affect Zambia.