The South African presidency has a plan to reverse the collapse of a state-run ports and freight-rail sector that’s cost the economy at least $26.7 billion since 2010: hand over most of the responsibility for fixing it to the private sector.
The plan is encapsulated in a 124-page Roadmap for the Freight Logistics System in South Africa seen by Bloomberg. It sets out timelines for everything from setting up port and rail regulators, allowing private companies to access rail lines and concessioning ports and rail routes to private operators.
Even the lucrative coal and iron-ore rail export lines — the poor operation of which is slashing exports by companies including Anglo American and Glencore — may be operated privately, the presidency said. That suggestion has long been opposed by state logistics company Transnet.
Source: Moneyweb
