Swazi rail volumes reflect economic decline

Declining freight volumes
moved by the rail and
road transport industry
in Swaziland reflect an
economy hit by setbacks in the
manufacturing and mining
sectors this past year.
Swaziland Railway lost some
business importing textile
inputs and exporting finished
garments when factories
started closing late last year
in reaction to Swaziland’s loss
of trading privileges with the
US under the African Growth
and Opportunities Act (Agoa).
Road freight haulers also saw
a minimum of 15% decline
in their business from the
garment sector.
Both road and rail transport
firms lost a major client in the
mining sector with the closure
of an iron ore business late in
2014 that relied both on trucks
and rail to move production to
Maputo for export.
Swaziland’s economy
is not in recession but is
growing at the slowest rate of
any SADC country.
Road remains the popular
choice for a majority of
shippers, and border post
clearance times are not
onerous either from SA or
Mozambique.
Rail however edges road in
the construction of new rail
line versus new highways. The
first new rail line in decades,
built in partnership with
Transnet Freight Rail, will
allow Swaziland Railway to
move freight originating from
Gauteng to the Mozambique
border en route to Maputo.
The Lothair line opens in
2017. Swaziland’s government
is concentrating its highway
building efforts on a new
road link from Manzini to an
international airport opened
last year in Sikhupe.
However, with no industry
or town nearby, the airport
is in “the middle of nowhere”
and the highway is of no use to
roadfreight transporters.