Cahora-Bassa-Zumbo ferry service still not operating

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Cahora-Bassa-Zumbo ferry service still not operating

12:19 CAT | 23 May 2017

Two years after the allocation of a suitable vessel by the government, the ferry service across the Zambezi river between Cahora-Bassa and Zumbo in Tete province is still not active.

The vessel firstly did not operate, allegedly, due to the poor quality of the Zumbo district berth. Lack of a manager for service and vandalism of the signalling buoys along the route also delayed matters.

In 2016, when these problems were finally addressed, navigability on the Zambezi was reduced by drought in upstream provinces and neighbouring countries.

The entry into operation of this vessel, with capacity for 94 passengers, seven tons of merchandise and two vehicles, was seen by the government as one of the solutions to transportation problems in districts bordering the Cahora Bassa reservoir and particularly that of Zumbo, which is more than five hundred kilometres distant.

Tete provincial Director of Transport and Communications Romeu Sandoca said that sandbanks in the Zambeze river were now a problem.

“We are conducting a study, together with the Hydrography Institute technical team, to establish depths and tell us if the vessel can reach Zumbo at current water levels. We hope to make a maiden voyage in the coming days. We also want to tell people that the vessel can be used for other services like tourism, mineral prospecting and various types of work and can be rented while water levels do not favour us and we are unable to reach Zumbo,” Sandoca said.

Private vessels currently provide a connection but, besides not guaranteeing safety, prices for the transport of goods and passengers are extremely high.

Source: Rádio Moçambique