Reduction in road tolls of up to two thirds

Maputo, 7 May (AIM) – The Mozambican government has ordered a reduction of up to two thirds in the tolls paid by motorists at the toll gates on the country’s main roads and bridges, taking effect as from 15 May.

The reductions are for passenger transport vehicles, for local residents and for light vehicles that use the road frequently. There is no reduction in the tolls paid by heavy goods vehicles, which are expected to pay for the damage they do to the roads.

Thus at the tollgates on the Maputo Ring Road the toll paid by the minibuses that provide much of the capital’s passenger transport (known colloquially as “chapas”) is halved, falling from ten to five meticais (from 16 to eight US cents). For 25 seater buses, the reduction is from 35 to 25 meticais.

The toll paid by people living in the vicinity of the toll gates falls from 16 to 10 meticais.

At the tollgate at the start of the Maputo-South Africa motorway, the toll for chapas falls by two thirds, from 15 to five meticais. For 25 seater buses the fall is also two thirds, from 51 to 17 meticais.

On the bridge over the Bay of Maputo, linking the centre of the city to the outlying municipal district of Katembe, the reduction is for all light vehicles, which will pay 100 meticais rather than the current 125 meticais. The tolls paid by residents of Katembe fall from 50 to 40 meticais, while the toll paid by chapas falls from 30 to 20 meticais.

There are also sharp reductions in the tolls paid by light vehicles on the road from Beira to Zimbabwe. Thus crossing the tollgate at the city of Chimoio will now cost 100 meticais rather than 180.

The toll paid by minibuses using the Samora Machel Bridge, over the Zambezi River, in Tete city, is halved, falling from 20 to 10 meticais.

There are 41 tollgates on major roads and bridges, but several of them were sabotaged and set on fire during rioting following the announcement of results, regarded as fraudulent, from the October general elections.

One of the demands made by former presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane was for a suspension of the collection of tolls. It is not clear yet whether Mondlane and his supporters will accept the resumption of collecting the tolls.

Transport Minister Joao Matlombe on Monday warned that all motorists must pay the new tolls, and those who do not will be identified and punished.
(AIM)
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