New study will identify SA’s infrastructure requirements

South Africa will start implementing the findings of a study on how to improve the movement of freight in the region by no later than 2013, according to Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele. He said thanks to the study into the infrastructure requirements of southern Africa, the government for the first time had accurate information at its disposal on infrastructure-related investment needs. “The cost of business in our region is very high and that is due to the high transport costs we have. We need to break this cycle and one of the ways to do that is to improve our infrastructure.” Ndebele said better use of infrastructure was just as important as ensuring the right cargo was on the right transport mode. “It is not about moving all freight to rail, but rather finding solutions that allow the right commodity to be moved in the right manner. Damage to our roads by trucks is a clear testimony that there is an imbalance in the movement of cargo. Bulky cargo that is less urgent should be on rail.” He said this required massive funding – something to which government had committed, with some R100 billion to be spent by Transnet Freight Rail in the next three years. “Over the past two years we have spent much time and effort in developing traffic flow optimisation plans to find ways to alleviate border traffic congestion for instance. Through the study we have conducted we now know what infrastructure we need and we can now set about implementing those findings.” According to Ndebele, several regional projects are already under way that will see infrastructure upgraded. “As the Department of Transport we will pursue robust engagement with Cabinet to provide adequate infrastructure to the freight industry. We have committed to hosting a roadfunding summit later this year that will take an in-depth look at some of the issues – such as how we fund the upgrading of our roads.” He said revamping the rail sector was just as important. “As government we believe in an intermodal solution where road and rail work alongside each other to move goods within our region at competitive prices. It is not viable to have a situation where it takes a truck three weeks to move from the Port of Durban to the DRC. We must improve our efficiency and for that we need better infrastructure, integration between our countries and commitment from both the public and the private sector.”