Bribery between cops, timber exporters worries sawmillers

COMMENT - K470,000 ($94,- at K5000/$)is nothing. The state should just pay the police proper salaries, and take it out of a road or import tax.

Bribery between cops, timber exporters worries sawmillers
By Darious Kapembwa in Kitwe
Tue 28 June 2011, 08:50 CAT

CONGOLESE timber exporters have found trading in the formal manner unnecessary due to some corrupt Zambia Police officers manning road checkpoints, says the Zambia National Association for Saw Millers.

In a statement in Kitwe, association secretary general William Bwalya said his members had always received complaints from Congolese traders who pay bribes along the way despite having all the necessary export documentation.

“We had cited internal factors hindering the development of this sector in this paper Post before, among other issues as the urgent reformation by government of the existing Forest Act which is outdated and undesirable,” said Bwalya on Wednesday.

“However, we are citing the Zambia Police to be among the external factors that are undermining the development of the wood and forestry sector.

Following a meeting last week facilitated by the Cross-border Traders Association, Copperbelt chapter, between the timber producers, forestry, veterinary and governmental officials from Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo in Chililabombwe, delegates from both countries recognised the need to formalise the export trade in timber between the two countries,” Bwalya said.

He said the meeting agreed that Zambia ensures that all timber destined for Congo DR and vice-versa has complete export documentations.

Bwalya said the Congolese would also be supplied with import documentations to be worked out by their government.

“The Zambia National Association for Saw Millers incognito last Saturday carried a test export with all export documentations prepared. To the dismay of the officials accompanying the consignment, Zambia Police at all strategic road blocks demanded passage fees in order to provide access to proceed with the consignment to the border. In total, Zambia Police extorted K470,000 for the consignment to reach the border at Kasumbalesa,” Bwalya said.

He said the export documentations cost K1 million which he said were not necessary as far as Zambia Police was concerned.

He said the Congolese said they would rather pay bribes to pass than procure export documentation, which he said did not serve the purpose.

“Similarly, some vehicles used by sawmillers to transport logs are not road worthy and most should be banned from our roads but instead the corrupt officers merely impound these vehicles temporarily until a bribe is paid upon which the vehicles are released,” said Bwalya.