Transnet and the Minerals Council SA have taken a decisive step forward to ensure operational improvements across the freight system in order to return to target performance levels in the short term and then to position for growth in the future.
The follows a full-day workshop attended by a high-level line-up including Transnet Group CEO Portia Derby and her Exco, Minerals Council president Nolitha Fakude, and vice president Themba Mkhwanazi, Minerals Council CEO Roger Baxter, and Minister of Public Enterprises, Pravin Gordhan.
A six-point plan has been formulated which includes:
· The establishment of smaller working teams focused on the different commodity groups by corridor, to address corridor-specific issues.
· Better engagement on annual maintenance shutdowns to ensure improved planning, and to leverage support from the mining sector where Transnet experiences constraints.
· Collectively working to ensure faster recovery from derailments.
· Jointly addressing the issue of syndicated organised crime (including copper theft and illegal mining), and seeking support and intervention from government.
· Collaborating more closely on security issues, for the implementation of technologies to reduce theft and vandalism of infrastructure. The details of this will be discussed further and finalised with the industry.
The aim of the workshop was to ensure that Transnet is able to stabilise operations, recover to planned target levels this year, and enable the mining sector to take advantage of the current commodity upswing.
The Minerals Council represents all Transnet’s largest customers in the mining sector and most of the smaller mining companies.
