Spoornet focuses on longhaul strategy to make SA more competitive

Kevin Mayhew SPOORNET’S RECENTLY unveiled plans have placed Gauteng fairly and squarely at the forefront of its future as it concentrates on longhauls along the country’s major corridors. Transnet’s group executive, strategy and transformation, Pradeep Maharaj, said the continent’s leading railway operator would be focusing on distances of greater than 200kms as its core business, with a specific focus on creating an enabling environment for the emerging corridors which are to feed the export and import market. “South Africa’s economic future lies in being competitive in the export market and we are planning to be part of that strategy to make the country competitive. A core part of that is to make our logistics elements competitive. Spoornet can make a big difference to those costs with efficiency and a concentration on specific areas where it can be of consequence.” The country’s major corridors are Gauteng-Durban, which is by far the most important at present, and Gauteng-Maputo that is rapidly emerging as a railway/road option with the establishment of the Mpumalanga Corridor. The Gauteng-Beitbridge Corridor as well as those feeding other port cities such as Port Elizabeth, East London and Cape Town are also in Spoornet’s development plans. Meanwhile, with a focus on road transportation, the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG) has displayed its determination to source greater volumes from Gauteng with the recent appointment of Johny Smith as dedicated marketing agent for the Group as it tries to take advantage of the strong road links presented by the Trans-Kalahari Corridor. Smith was previously manager, sales and services, of the WBCG development partner, the Namibian Ports Authority (NPA) in Walvis Bay, before taking up the new position which recognises his knowledge and passion for the entire WBCG initiative to make Namibia an entry and exit point of choice for southern Africa.