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Manica Malawi Limited, a member of the international freight management solution provider Manica Africa (Pty) Limited, has invested about K640 million in refurbishments of its container terminals in Blantyre and Lilongwe to improve both safety compliance and service delivery.
Manica Malawi commercial executive Reiner Barford said in an interview in Blantyre the investment is a demonstration of Manica shareholders’ commitment to stay in Malawi.
“We are committed to improving our services in the country and investing such a huge amount of money in both Malawi and the region because our roots are here in Southern Africa,” he said.
Refurbishments at the Blantyre Container Terminal along the Mudi River included replacement of all electric motors, electrical circuits and rehabilitation of the gantry cranes to make them safety compliant.
Besides these developments, a visit to the terminal also showed that security at the site has been enhanced with the erection of a new perimeter wire fence complete with razor wire. A 14 metric tonnes capacity fork-lift for carrying empty containers was also seen in action.
Barford said the Blantyre terminal will have a second 14-metric tonnes capacity fork-lift sometime later this month (March) while in Lilongwe there is now a new 44 metric tonnes capacity fork-lift valued at 1.8 million rands.
He also said Manica’s Lilongwe Container Terminal will now be the first in the country to have such heavy-duty fork-lifts. He said the developments have come at a right time when tobacco sales are about to resume and Lilongwe being the main centre, the fork-lifts were a worthy investment.
Manica’s Blantyre terminal has the capacity to hold 1,200 TEU (twenty-feet equivalent units) while the one in Lilongwe can handle up to 700 TEU.
Refurbishments in Blantyre lasted nine months while in Lilongwe it took four months to complete and Barford admitted the developments inconvenienced the company’s customers. However, he thanked the clients for their patience.
“What is important is that our customers understood us and we have repaid them through having more reliable depots,” he said.
Manica’s Blantyre Container Terminal is serviced by both road and railway and, according to Manica Malawi national sales manager Francis Chinkhandwe, containers can be loaned at this depot and dispatched directly to the Indian Ocean port of Nacala in Mozambique by rail.
Meanwhile, Manica Malawi is set to officially launch its rehabilitated Blantyre Container Terminal this Thursday evening during a customer evening, according to depot supervisor Sosten Matandika.
Manica Africa operates in 10 African countries—Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is a member of the international investment holding company, Bidvest Group Limited listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa.
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