Coal prospects for Swazi rail looking good

MBABANE – The
outlook for Swaziland
Railway’s coal
business appears to be
positive based on the latest figures
revealed by the Ministry of Natural
Resources.
The country’s coal reserves
stood at 159 million short tons in
February – and since coal is the
only locally produced mineral to
be transported by rail, the size of
the reserve suggests business for
Swaziland Railway transporting
this mineral to industrial customers
in Mpumalanga for the foreseeable
future. Rail transport of iron ore
ended last year with the closure of
an iron mine in western Swaziland,
officially due to low prices for the
commodity.
Other ores pass through in
transit, like South African minerals
en route through Swaziland to
Richards Bay. In terms of volume,
magnetite from Phalaborwa is
the biggest user of the rail line,
followed by rock phosphate and
other smaller types of minerals. On
occasion these minerals coming
through the north of Swaziland
as an alternative route are also
exported through the port of
Maputo.