Transnet sets itself up as locomotive manufacturing centre

Freight logistics giant Transnet plans to spend some R4 billion over the next seven years to ramp up rail engineering in the country. According to Transnet CE Brian Molefe, this is aimed at increasing localisation, transformation and empowerment. “We have to improve our local ability to manufacture locomotives rather than importing from the rest of the world. Not only is it important from a Transnet perspective but it also allows us to sell our locomotives,” said Molefe. “Already at the Port of Ngqura we recently loaded wagons to deliver to Mozambique who have purchased rolling stock from us. On Thursday last week we hosted the Minister of Transport of Benin at our Koedoespoort facility as they have indicated their intent to buy locomotives.” Molefe said Transnet had also employed people on the ground in Tanzania to promote South Africanbuilt rolling stock and there was already talk and “collaboration to move rail into Tanzania and Kenya with South Africa as partner”. “We are expecting a delegation from Kenya to arrive in South Africa later in May as we have already started providing advisory services to them for the pipelines that will be built in Kenya. Molefe said Transnet was starting to reap the benefits of the school fees it had paid in the past few years in the development of its own pipeline and in setting up the Koedoespoort facility and increasing local manufacturing. “Africa is the fastestgrowing continent in the world today and the possibility of intraregional trade is huge,” said Molefe. “At the moment our regional trade is very low. This is something we can change through our market demand strategy as it gives us an advantage to establish a local rolling stock manufacturing site that allows us to trade across the continent. “We believe this strategy will help us to build the infrastructure that will establish us on the continent as a supplier of rolling stock.”