THE delays in the construction of a railway line from Grootfontein to Katima Mulilo via Rundu worries Kabbe South constituency councillor John Likando.
In his contribution on the community development fund bill of 2019 in the National Council on Wednesday, Likando explained that this noble idea has been on the cards for over two decades without getting off the ground.
“I don’t really understand why this project has been ignored, because several studies have proven that it is a viable one and will have a major economic benefit to the country,” he said.
He added that once this railway line is built, it will link Namibia to Zambia as well as the central and eastern African countries through Zambia along the Tanzara railway and ports along the Indian Ocean.
According to Likando, the realisation of this link will also connect the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean, which will be the biggest achievement for Southern Africa Development Community countries in terms of trade and infrastructural development.
“Considering the existing trade between Zambia and Namibia, especially with the high volumes of copper being transported from the copper belt of Zambia to Tsumeb and finally to Walvis Bay, from where it is exported to Europe and Asia,” he emphasised.
The councillor added that seafood products from the Namibian coast will also be transported via the same route to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic.
About 2000 trucks use the Trans-Caprivi Highway, crossing over to Zambia with goods destined for the DRC, Zimbabwe and Malawi daily.
Likando stressed that the Namibian government spent millions to maintain roads every two or three years damaged by trucks, which benefit a few.
“When you link the fuel storage infrastructure at the coast and this railway line, taking into consideration the difficulties landlocked countries have in accessing fuel from oil-processing countries, the Zambezi region stands a chance to be the biggest logistics hub in southern Africa, given its strategic location,” he added.
The councillor, therefore, called on his fellow leaders to unite and push for the project to start as it has big potential to change the lives of ordinary Namibians.
– Nampa
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