This figure has been significantly higher than this year’s highest figure of 5.6 million tons which was delivered in March. Similar improvements in freight rail transportation of commodities have been noted on the Sishen to Saldanha Bay railway line, for iron ore, and the Hot as Hell (north of Sishen), to Port Elizabeth Bay, for manganese.
“This commendable increase in the number of tons transported by Transnet Freight Rail to the various ports contributes significantly to the revenues accruing from exports through foreign exchange earnings into our economy. This is a welcome contribution in these uncertain economic conditions when governments are under pressure to improve their economies. We believe that the leadership of Transnet deserves to be acknowledged for their sterling effort in increasing rail transportation efficiencies. We are further delighted to hear of plans to relocate the manganese loading terminal from Port Elizabeth to Coega where there is potential for expansion. The mining industry depends to a large extent on efficient freight rail transportation,” said Bheki Sibiya, CEO, South African Chamber of Mines.
