Maputo — The Mozambican authorities on Wednesday reached agreement with private transport operators to scrap the increases in tolls that took effect on the Maputo-South Africa motorway last week.

While all other vehicles must pay the new tolls, the minibuses and similar vehicles used for private passenger transport will be allowed to revert to the old tolls as from Friday.

Under the annual agreement between the government's National Roads Administration (ANE), and the South African-based consortium, TRAC (Trans African Concessions), which built and operates the motorway, the toll for light vehicles at the Maputo tollgate rose from 14,500 to 17,500 meticais, an increase of 20.7 per cent. Medium cargo vehicles with two axles were to pay 58,000 instead of 48,000 meticais. (At current exchange rates, there are about 24,750 meticais to the US dollar).

At the second tollgate, at Moamba, some 60 kilometres northwest of Maputo, the toll for light vehicles rose from 77,000 to 95,000 meticais.

For registered passenger vehicles, all these tolls revert to the old figures - but only for the time being. The definitive solution to the dispute will be a 40 per cent discount for the passenger vehicles (known colloquially as "chapas") every time they cross the tollgates. According to the chairperson of the ANE board, Paulo Muxanga, cited in Thursday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias", it will take about a month to make the necessary arrangements for the 40 per cent discount to take effect.

Last weekend, ANE claimed that the chapas are already eligible for a discount of 59 per cent - but the associations of transport operators denied this, arguing that many operators are unable to claim this discount.

With a 40 percent discount, each small chapa will only pay 10,500 meticais to cross the Maputo tollgate, while the larger ones will pay 35,000 meticais.

The chapa owners had threatened to go on strike, and many are currently boycotting the toll road. Rogerio Manuel, chairperson of the Mozambican Association of Road Transport Associations (FEMATRO), said this boycott will continue until Friday.

"As from Monday we can revert to using the toll gate, against payment of the old toll", said Manuel.

The boycott made no sense: the vehicles concerned were mostly plying the route from Maputo to the neighbouring city of Matola. An alternative route, via the Maputo suburb of Jardim, exists, but it takes much longer. Thus the savings made by not paying the toll were eliminated by increased fuel costs, increased wear and tear on the vehicles, and reduced fare income.

To reach Wednesday's agreement, ANE also had to negotiate with TRAC, which meant an emergency visit to Maputo by the TRAC chairman, Arthur Coy.

The deal has yet to be confirmed by a meeting of TRAC shareholders.