Road hauliers fill the gap for rail

Southern African road hauliers are keeping the region’s economy moving while the region’s rail systems remain unable to deliver, says Francois Uys, outgoing secretary general of the Namibian Logistics Association (NLA). The association believes that bulk commodities over long distances should be moved off road to rail – but that will only happen when rail starts functioning properly, he says. “It affects us because we can see the road system deteriorating due to the amount of heavy traffic it is carrying. That, in turn, leads to breakdowns, delays and higher operating costs for the road hauliers.” It is in the broader public interest that the region’s rail systems are firstly not allowed to deteriorate further, and that there is carefully considered reinvestment in the rail infrastructure and rolling stock – both in Namibia and neighbouring states. But, until that happens, his advice to shippers is to plan their logistics around using road transport.