Yet more Rwandan cargo goes missing in Dar port

Rwandan cargo have gone missing recently and the situation is alarming

Rwanda has sounded the alarm over continued theft of its mineral cargo at the Dar es Salaam port, saying it is undermining efforts to promote the country’s mining sector, currently reeling from the impact of depressed metal prices. Over the past two months, Rwanda says mineral cargo worth over $2 million destined for Asia and Europe has disappeared at the Dar es Salaam port.

Rwandan cargo have gone missing recently and the situation is alarming

The private companies affected in the most recent theft are Mineral Supply Africa, one of the largest traders of Rwanda’s minerals, and Trading Services and Logistics Ltd.

“We still have three containers on the waters — they are yet to arrive in Asia. Our concern is that we may find that those still at sea have also been interfered with,” Evode Imena, Rwanda’s State Minister for Mining told The EastAfrican.

This is not the first time this is happening. Last year, Mineral Supply Africa lost a container of coltan at the Dar port valued at around $760,000. This was the second theft targeting Rwandan minerals after another one in 2013. The minerals are yet to be recovered.

“We got to know about the theft when containers arrived in their final destination in Japan, China and Europe, and instead of coltan, we found cement bricks,” Mr Imena said.

While Rwanda has sought the help of the International Police (Interpol), no arrests have been made.

Preliminary findings from an investigation commissioned by the transport company that moves the minerals show that truck drivers were involved.

“There are many players… The report provides critical information about where we think it is happening and how it is happening,” Mr Imena said, without divulging further details of the investigation report.

However, there is suspicion that a criminal gang with strong political connections is behind it.

“Powerful individuals in Tanzania are suspected to be involved because despite the increasing cases of theft, up to today the Tanzanian police has yet to show commitment by arresting those behind it or guaranteeing security,” a source in the mining sector, who did not wish to be named, told The EastAfrican.

“We reported the cases and gave them information but nothing has happened,” he said.

Contacted, Tanzania’s East African Community Minister Samuel Sitta said that the government was not aware of the theft.

“There are cases of unscrupulous people changing containers before they get to the port but it is hard to establish what happened until you investigate the matter. The government will get to the bottom of the matter,” the minister told The EastAfrican.

However, Tanzania Ports Authority corporate affairs manager Janet Ruzagi said they had nothing to do with it.

“We only examine the documents submitted by the clearing and forwarding agencies. If the cargo is missing, it is the responsibility of the clearing agency who handled to consignment to explain what happened to the container because they are the ones who pack the containers and know the content of goods in the containers,” she said.

READ: Container theft at Dar port raises freight costs for Rwanda exporters

Statistics from the National Bank of Rwanda show that in the first half of 2015, the country’s exports decreased by 6.2 per cent in value to $275.28 million from $293.61 million in the first half of 2014 as a result of poor performance in the mining sector, the value of whose exports dropped by 31.3 per cent mainly due to falling international prices.

Mineral export revenue dropped to $64.24 million from $93.45 million during the first half of this year while volumes fell to 3.79 thousand tonnes compared to 5.22 thousand tonnes recorded last year.

Specifically, cassiterite and wolfram declined respectively by 48.0 per cent and 21.2 per cent in value as a result of the fall in their prices by 20.3 per cent and 10.4 per cent respectively. Despite the rise of its unit price by 4.2 per cent, coltan exports also decreased by 18.8 per cent in value and 22.1 per cent in volume.

The East African

UM– USEKE.RW

NIZEYIMAMA JEAN