Coming down
the track…
The coal mining industry in
Africa is creating a new export
market for Transnet. Recently
it shipped three trains, ten sets
of coaches and ten wagons to
Mozambique.
TRANSNET’S LATEST CONSIGNMENT
brings the number of trains to seven and the
coaches to 21 in total, shipped to a mining company in Mozambique. Transnet says this is a
vote of confidence in its engineering capabilities and a boost for inter-regional trade.
According to General Manager for Marketing and Strategy, Thoba Majoka, this is contributing
to integration between the countries in the region. He says, “We are serving as a catalyst for
regional integration, because when you have the same rolling stock with the same standard,
it makes it easy for integration between the different countries in the region.”
He adds, “This is to be fostered, because trains with commodity can run from one country to
another without problem.”
The expansion of Transnet’s export market is creating job opportunities in the engineering
field. “Every project that we bring to the African continent means that we are either creating
jobs from our country or we are sustaining jobs that we have. It is not just about exporting;
we try to make sure that we form partnerships with the railways in the regions. You will find
that many of them have shortages of skilled people. What we have offered to a number of
railways in the region, is the training facilities in our country,” he adds.
Another 118 wagons will be sent to Mozambique before the end of March next year and
Transnet is looking at supplying Botswana with wagons.
