Africa-Press – Tanzania. TANZANIAN truck drivers who were stranded in Malawi following the recent strike in the neighbouring country are safe, the government has said.
On Tuesday, Malawian truck drivers went on strike demanding government’s interventions to have their salaries hiked and provision of personal protective equipment. The crisis caught up with Tanzanian truck drivers who had crossed border to transport cargo to Malawi and some had sounded their voice, seeking for the government intervention.
In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation said yesterday in a press release that the government has engaged its Malawian counterpart in an effort to bring the situation back to normal state.
“The government through our High Commission is closely monitoring the situation in Malawi and already it has taken some initiatives,” read part of the media release signed by the Ministry’s Director for Communications, Mr Emmanuel Buhohela.
It is estimated that around 60 Tanzanian trucks carrying petroleum products and pother consignments were stranded, following the strikes by the Malawian counterparts.
“With the ongoing efforts by the government, the drivers have now resumed their trip. The ministry has instructed the Tanzanian High Commissioner to Malawi Ambassador Benedict Mashimba, to meet with authorities in Malawi on the way forward,” he said.
Mr Buhohela noted that drivers who are facing any challenge in Malawi should report to the High Commission for immediate intervention. The Malawian truck drivers started their strike with 500 drivers across the country parking their trucks and forced their fellow drivers to join the industrial action.
The drivers said they started voicing their concerns about low salaries in 2017 but were not being heard. Some of Malawi’s imports including fuel and fertilizer are transported by road with some drivers transporting goods from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Durban in South Africa.
