Freight operators using the N4 corridor between Pretoria and Maputo should plan for transit times of more than 21 hours after delays remained above that threshold for a second consecutive week, according to the latest RSA Corridor Pulse Report.
The report, compiled by Crickmay's Logistics Monitoring System (LMS), said the sustained increase indicated a structural shift rather than a temporary spike in delays, prompting operators to adjust planning assumptions for one of Southern Africa's busiest trade corridors.
"N4's average has now held above 21 hours for two straight weeks. This could be demand-driven growth rather than a spike operators can wait out," the report said.
The corridor was classified as "at risk", with average transit times increasing by 2.7% week on week and remaining above 21 hours for a second consecutive week. The report advises operators to "plan N4 transit above 21 hours now", noting that the corridor was performing above 2025 levels.
Detailed corridor analysis showed the average transit time had reached 22.2 hours despite a 19% easing in delays at the Lebombo border crossing.
"N4's average has confirmed above 21 hours for a second straight week at 22.2 hours, even though Lebombo eased 19% this week. Plan N4 loads to 22 hours and treat this as the corridor's new normal," the analysts said.
The report found that while border crossing times at Lebombo had improved during the week, overall road transit times continued to rise, suggesting the corridor's longer journey times were no longer being driven solely by border congestion.
Across the wider network, four of the eight monitored freight corridors remained under pressure. Alongside the N4, the Kuruman-Saldanha corridor was also rated "at risk", while the Ermelo-Richards Bay and Walvis Bay-Cape Town corridors were placed on "watch". Ports were generally stable during the reporting period, with Cape Town, Durban and Gqeberha recording lower vessel waiting times, although Richards Bay moved off an unusually quiet previous week.
