| Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Zaïrois | |
| Trade Name: | SNCZ |
| Type: | Railway company |
| Predecessors: | --> |
| Successors: | --> |
| Founders: | --> |
| Area Served: | Zaire |
| Areas Served: | --> |
| Owners: | --> |
The Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Zaïrois (SNCZ) was the state railway company in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) formed in 1974 by combining several privately owned railways.It suffered from lack of maintenance of the tracks and rolling stock, weak management, and external factors such as the Angolan Civil War and the collapse of the economy of Zaire under President Mobutu Sese Seko.Despite two projects funded by the World Bank, it had virtually ceased to function by the 1990s.It was replaced in 1995 by the short-lived private company SIZARAIL, which in turn was replaced by the present Société nationale des chemins de fer du Congo.
One of the main requirements for transport in Zaire was to carry minerals from Shaba (Katanga) to the port of Matadi on the lower Congo River, a distance of, and to transport imports in the reverse direction.The railway ran from Shaba to Ilebo on the Kasai River. From there, the Office national des transports (Onatra) took over and carried the minerals by boat down the Kasai and Congo rivers to Kinshasa, then by rail to Matadi, from where they could be shipped overseas.
Alternative routes could take exported minerals from Shaba to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, to Durban in South Africa, or to Lobito in Angola.Copper from Zambia was shipped through Zaire lines to the Benguela railway to Lobito on the west coast of Angola, providing foreign exchange that the Shaba railway used to buy fuel and spare parts, and invest in maintenance.
The Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Zaïrois (SNCZ) was formed on 1 July 1974 by merging five existing railway companies:
The network in Shaba was financially viable, but the other networks serving remote agricultural areas in the north and east were not.
The government's stated objectives included ensuring transport flowed smoothly in the Shaba mining area, maintaining and improving the rail facilities, keeping transport costs to the minimum for the mining industry and agricultural producers, and to strengthen management of the consolidated rail network while phasing out foreign staff.
Under President Mobutu Sese Seko (1965–1997) the railways were neglected.The Lobito line was closed from 1975 by the Angolan Civil War (1975–2002). 800 SNCZ wagons were held in Angola due to the civil war.When the Lobito line closed the Zambian revenue dried up, and SNCZ scaled back on maintenance.Track and equipment deteriorated.
Five different general managers held office between 1976 and 1986.As of 1978 the rail network had been poorly maintained, and had been damaged by the 1977 invasion of Shaba from Angola by rebel Congolese soldiers of the Congolese National Liberation Front (FNLC).In Shaba the track was badly worn, with 80% over 45 years old, and derailments were common.Many of the locomotives were no longer running for lack of spare parts, and 65% of wagons were over 20 years old and needed maintenance.
The World Bank led two projects to upgrade the railway.The first, worth US$20 million, was approved on 29 April 1979 and closed four years behind schedule on 30 June 1986.Its objective was to bring the railway up to reasonably efficient operations, but in fact the railway deteriorated during the project lifespan.The second, worth SDR 25.2 million, was approved on 15 May 1984 and closed three years behind schedule on 31 December 1990.It was meant to prevent the railway from deteriorating further, and to contribute to the Onatra modernization program and to rehabilitation projects for the Matadi and Kinshasa ports. All the funds were paid out, but none of the objectives were met.An ordinance of 3 April 1991 split the SNCZ into four entities.These were SNCZ/Holding, with subsidiaries:
In the 1990s Gecamines almost ceased to produce copper, while the SNCZ network ceased to function.As of 1993 SNCZ or subsidiaries owned all railway lines in Zaire, including the eastern lines, which were operated by Onatra.This included:
The company also operated the port at Kalemie and transport on Lake Tanganyika, and owned the port of Ilebo on the Kasai.
A World Bank in 1993 blamed the failure of the projects to revive the network on the management of the SNCZ, which used the funds mainly to retain staff and hire new staff rather than to maintain the assets of the railway.The report noted that the railways might not be economically viable.Traffic volumes had been dropping due to reduced production by Gécamines, and political unrest in 1991 had disrupted the economy.The Benguela railway in Angola from Shaba to Lobito might also reopen and divert traffic.
In 1995 prime minister Léon Kengo wa Dondo allowed foreign investment in some of the lines in an attempt to revive them.The Sizarail company was formed with 51% ownership from Belgian and South African investors and 49% government ownership.In November 1995 SNCZ/Holding was dissolved and operation of the railways was ceded to Sizarail.Sizarail invested $6 million in repairs to the lines from Lubumbashi to Ilebo and from Kamina to Kalemie.It earned $66 million gross revenues in its first year, with an profit of $1 million.
In 1997 the Alliance des Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Congo (AFDL) began a rebellion, which disrupted Sizarail operations.Sizarail was dissolved in 1997 and all operations were taken over by the Société nationale des chemins de fer du Congo (SNCC).In 1998 the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie (RCD) began its rebellion. The Second Congo War continued until 2003. When mining began to resume, transport of mineral exports was mostly through the road and rail networks of other southern African countries.