The introduction of road freight regulations in South Africa is long overdue, according to Malesela Makgeta, director of integrated transport corridors at the department of transport (DoT).
Makgeta said it was imperative to not only integrate national and regional freight corridors in the country, but also to regulate.
“There is currently a lack of operator regulation in South Africa,” he said.
Operators coming into South Africa from neighbouring countries were also not regulated and their operations also had significant impact on the South African road network and transport system, he added.
“We have ineffective or overlooked controls. Some of the incidents or accidents on major corridors are because of trucks being overloaded or they are just not roadworthy,” he said. “There are ineffective regulations for drivers, vehicles and operators alike.”
Makgeta said the road freight strategy was seeking to address some of the pertinent issues in the road freight sector while also looking at ways to shift more cargo from road to rail.
“Rail used to move most of the commodities in South Africa and the current situation cannot be overemphasised or overlooked. We require a far greater focus in address the cargo imbalance,” he said.
According to Makgeta the integration of trade corridors has been done successfully around the world and South Africa and the region could see major improvements in trade if the corridors linking the countries performed better.
He said better maintenance and more investment in infrastructure was crucial for most of the corridors as was harmonising policy across countries.
“The DoT is in the process of developing a regional corridor development strategy addressing not only the current situation on the corridors in the region but also looking at future demand. The aim of this strategy will be to facilitate and grow trade within the region.”
