Namibian state-owned freight-rail company, TransNamib, is said to be on the verge of carrying cargo in and out of Gauteng to and from its ports, Freight News has reliably learned.
According to an official from Namibia’s logistics sector, there’s no certainty about when the parastatal will start carrying loads back and forth between Gauteng’s dry port of City of Deep and the ports of Walvis Bay and Lüderitz.
“It could be soon though as we are receiving a lot of interest,” the source said.
Although the news signals yet more evidence of Namibian ports competing with ports in South Africa, especially following a recent report that stormy conditions at the Port of Cape Town had paved the way for Walvis Bay to handle transhipment loads meant for Gauteng, the development was a joint effort, the source emphasised.
“We’re working with Transnet as the focus here is much more on moving freight from road to rail through collaboration.
“And although road freight still plays a role, especially in terms of enabling station-to-station linkages, our strategic business plan is primarily focusing on providing alternative options for logistics into landlocked areas.”
It included carrying cargo beyond South Africa’s industrial heartland further east towards Eswatini, the source said.
Considering Namibia’s strong relationship with South Africa, the source added that it was viewed as a fait accompli that the loads to and from City Deep would become a reality.
“TransNamib wants to strengthen its advantages in the Southern African region and we believe our ports are not as frequently congested as South Africa’s ports.”
- Freight News will seek to receive clarity and confirmation about when exactly TransNamib intends to roll out rail freight services between its ports and Gauteng. Don’t forget our special focus feature on Gauteng, available this Friday.
