... Transnet signed operating agreements with 11 private rail freight operators as South Africa accelerates rail sector liberalization. Authorities expect the reform to add 24 million tonnes of freight capacity initially, with potential expansion to 52 million tonnes within five years. The government aims to increase rail freight volumes to 250 million tonnes by 2030 from about 180 million tonnes currently. ...

... the OPEC Fund has ever granted to the South African government. The agreement adds to a series of multilateral financing deals secured by South Africa over the past year. In June 2025, the World Bank approved a $1.5 billion package to help stabilize the electricity grid, reform rail and port infrastructure and support the country's energy transition. A month later, ...

... The Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager (TRIM) has announced 11 train operating companies (TOCs) have been allocated slots to operate routes on Transnet's rail network, marking a major milestone in South Africa's rail reform journey. Private operators As part of efforts to reform the rail sector, the government opened South Africa's rail network to private operators to increase Transnet rail volumes ...

... Matola. It entered 2026 at an inflection point. The company has just completed a multi-year strategic reset, exiting non-core assets and sharpening its focus on infrastructure it can grow, while a landmark Transnet agreement has now opened South Africa's freight rail network to private train operators - Grindrod among the 11 onboarded. That deal is set to add roughly 24 ...

... comment. According to Isaac Sileku, Minister of Mobility in the Western Cape, the NRMP marks an important step in setting the long-term direction for the renewal, expansion and modernisation of South Africa's rail system. Encouraging businesses and transport organisations in the province to engage with the document and submit their views, Sileku described the publication of the plan as a ...

... concessioning of key freight rail corridors to private operators. While the DA welcomes the announcement that 11 private companies will be permitted to operate on Transnet's freight rail network, this intervention does not go far enough, nor does it move fast enough to address South Africa's logistics crisis. Allowing private trains onto Transnet's old and failing infrastructure is not the ...

... South Africa's freight rail sector is on the brink of its biggest transformation in decades, with 11 private train operating companies now cleared to access the country's mainline rail network. Image used for illustrative purposes/Sherise Van Dyk/Unsplash The agreements, officially concluded with the Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager (TRIM), mark a major milestone in government's efforts to revitalise rail freight and ...

... Menar Ports & Rail (MPR) plans to invest in critical resources to maximise its TRIM rail allocation and support South Africa's economy. Menar 15 May 2026 Facebook X LinkedIn Email Copy Image: Menar On 13 May 2026, Transnet Group CEO Michelle Phillips announced MPR was one of the first 11 private Train Operating Companies (TOCs) to conclude a Rail Access ...

... operations to enable competition in freight rail. The Transport Economic Regulator (TER) also entered its initial phase of operations on April 1 ahead of full operations from the 2027/28 financial year. Cabinet has meanwhile approved publication of the National Rail Master Plan for public comment. The plan is intended to guide the revitalisation, expansion and modernisation of South Africa's rail ...

... BUSINESS NEWS - South Africa's transport and logistics system remains one of the most decisive factors shaping economic performance. When it works, trade flows, exporters compete and businesses invest with confidence. When it doesn't, inefficiencies ripple through supply chains, raising costs, constraining growth and steadily eroding competitiveness. The challenges themselves are not new. Port congestion, unreliable rail, constrained corridors and ...

... Three rand-pegged stablecoins have launched in South Africa in succession: ZARP, backed by Old Mutual; ZAR Supercoin from New York Stock Exchange-listed Super Group; and, most recently, Zaru, backed by Luno, EasyEquities, Lesaka Technologies and Sanlam. For now, the telecoms operators remain a dominant rail. As MTN Group chairman Mcebisi Jonas put it in the company's 2025 integrated report: "Our ...

... The technical foundation has been laid, but critical gaps remain. South Africa intends to use its chairpersonship to close them. It is our vision that South Africa contributes to building integrated African value chains connected to ports, rail corridors, logistics hubs, energy systems, digital infrastructure, and manufacturing ecosystems. Our automotive sector, mineral beneficiation capabilities, renewable energy transition, financial institutions, agro-processing ...

... annum, with export volumes remaining 17% below this target, the company stated: "The initiatives of the new Transnet management team to improve a deteriorating iron ore export line are commendable." Read: How Transnet aims to revolutionize rail in South Africa Transnet increases container surcharge to R78 South Africa's logistics reforms must remain on track Afrimat's shares rose by over 2.5% ...

... of interests between African countries that, for instance, led to a 12-year delay in the building of a 250km rail line between Kenya and Somalia, different trade, law and economic systems between African countries that stifle trade and development, and "shameful" xenophobia, as seen recently in South Africa. Delegates said African countries are also misdirected from their Africa integration agenda ...

... South African bakkie customers while remaining competitive in a rapidly evolving bakkie market," said Lerato Nonyane, general manager for product and marketing at Mitsubishi Motors South Africa. Sportier appearance package Visually, the Triton Bi-Turbo receives a sportier appearance package, including roof rails, a styling bar, heated mirrors and an assisted tailgate. Mitsubishi's Dynamic Shield front-end styling remains central to the ...

... marks the second phase of MSC's Intermodal campaign, following the Cote d'Ivoire-Burkina Faso rail corridor executed earlier in 2026. Together, these initiatives underscore MSC's focus on strengthening inland connectivity across key African trade routes. Further corridors are planned in South Africa and Kenya later in 2026, as the campaign continues to spotlight strategic corridors that enhance regional trade flows and ...

... Ramaphosa said approximately 69% of all freight moves by road and that logistics inefficiencies are estimated to cost the economy close to R1 billion a day. He also said the National Rail Policy of 2022 and National Freight Logistics Roadmap of 2023 are intended to re-establish rail as the backbone of the logistics network. That road exposure appears in import ...

... interest litigation is used frequently to uphold the Constitution when the executive and legislature stray from its prescribed path. Due to the impartiality of the courts, public interest litigation has, by way of examples, secured access to medication for pregnant women who are HIV positive, and greater safety for rail commuters who frequently fall prey to criminals on trains. Judicial ...

... that while the national government frequently spoke warmly about attracting foreign and domestic investment, its actual policies and administrative failures had made investing in South Africa unnecessarily difficult. "Businesses are asked to invest in a country where ports do not work properly, rail is unreliable, crime is out of control, many municipalities are failing, and electricity remains too expensive and ...

... integration. "One such venture is the Mmamabula-Lephalale Rail Link Project, which stands out as a strategic priority for our two countries. This initiative has the potential to unlock significant economic value for both countries," President Ramaphosa said. South Africa and Botswana share deep ties that took root in the solidarity shown by Botswana during South Africa's liberation struggle against apartheid ...