‘Spoornet derails supply chain efficiency’

Kevin Mayhew SPOORNET’S LACK of reliability – despite its promises to the contrary – is making it very difficult to use in preference to road, says the MD of Makamba Clearing and Forwarding, Dave Breedt. He cited as an example a recent consignment from Johannesburg to Luanda, Angola, which moved by rail to Cape Town and then by sea to Luanda. “We had all the cargo ready for removal but it was held up by Spoornet en route to Cape Town, which meant that the consignment – urgent plant equipment – was delayed and had to be transhipped to a later vessel. “It is making the decision between using road and rail very much an issue of accepting the increased cost of road transport – up to three times as expensive – because at least you know who is accountable for any delays,” he said.