VANDALISM to rail infrastructure costs the country close to R5 billion a year.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy says this has a direct impact on the amount of freight transported via the railway system annually.
Creecy was part of a ministerial team that briefed the National Council of Provinces on challenges their departments face in infrastructure delivery.
The minister says to benefit the economy, 220 to 250 tons of freight need to move on the country’s rail system every year, but this is not happening.
“At the moment, Transnet is moving somewhere between about 149/150 million tons. It’s not enough for our economy, it’s not enough to protect the jobs in mining. And I think that it also means we run the risk of losing market share as the honourable member has correctly pointed out, to Mozambique and Walvis Bay.
“I mean we must be very worried about recent agreements between Mozambique and Zimbabwe to build a rail line because essentially what that is intended to do is to make sure there’s port access outside of South Africa.”
(SABC News)
