James Hall A SWAZI is out and a Zimbabwean is at the helm of the Southern African Railways Association (SARA) as of June 1. New president Eitan Dvir, chief executive officer of Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway (BBR), takes over from Gideon Mahlalela, chief executive officer of Swaziland Railways. SARA comprises the private and national railways of the 14 member nations belonging to the Southern African Development Community (SADC), with the exception of Lesotho, which has no railway. Leaving the post, Mahlalela singled out Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana as having done much to improve their freight rail service, and bring it in line with regional standards. However, Mahlalela has criticised Southern African governments for failing to implement road user fees on ground freight haulers. "Rail is not subsidised, unlike truck freight service that uses roads for free. We need a level playing field for rail freight not only to help the industry but to assist shippers with a viable transportation alternative," he says.
