Maputo — The Mozambican government hopes to present, within 48 hours, an "intermediate solution" to the dispute with private transport operators over the fees charged to use the Maputo-South Africa motorway, reports Tuesday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias".

As from 1 March, the fee for light vehicles at the Maputo tollgate rose from 14,500 to 17,500 meticais, an increase of over 20 per cent (at current exchange rates, there are about 24,750 meticais to the US dollar).

This toll gate catches traffic between Maputo and the neighbouring city of Matola, and the owners of minibuses providing transport on the Maputo-Matola route have objected strenuously to the rise.

At the weekend, Ibrahimo Remane, general director of Mozambique's National Roads Administration (ANE), told reporters that heavy users of the toll road already receive a discount of 59 per cent. But leaders of the transport operators' associations immediately claimed this was untrue.

The owners of the minibuses (known colloquially as "chapas") want a 40 per cent discount on the tolls, regardless of how often they cross the toll gate. This would bring the toll for light vehicles down to 10,500 meticais.

The ANE met for several hours on Monday with representatives of the transport operators, and of the Confederation of Mozambican Businesses (CTA), without reaching a definitive decision.

The ANE told the operators the government has no objection to the 40 per cent discount - but this requires the approval of TRAC (Trans-African Concessions), the South Africa-based consortium that built and operates the motorway.

The operators then suggested that, while the question of the discount is studied, the increase in the tolls should be suspended. The "chapas" would go on paying the old tolls.

But this too would require TRAC's agreement. ANE told the transport operators it would need 48 hours for the discussions with TRAC.

This was enough for the operators to call off the strike they had threatened for Tuesday. They agreed that their vehicles will remain on the roads - but they will not use the toll gate.

There is an alternative route between Maputo and Matola, via the Jardim neighbourhood, and the chapa owners say this is the route they will use until TRAC gives in to their demands.

But it takes much longer to drive to Matola via Jardim than via the tollgate. The Jardim route is already crowded, and the road is not in good condition. Thus driving to Matola via Jardim is a false economy: any savings gained by not paying the toll are wiped out by increased fuel costs, increased wear and tear on the vehicles, and reduced fare income (since each journey takes much longer, fewer journeys can be made).