Transport Minister Barbara Creecy’s quest to revitalise South Africa’s ailing logistics sector through private sector participation has gained significant traction, with the request for information generating substantial industry interest and setting the stage for major reforms.
The Department of Transport’s request for information (RFI), which closed on 30 May after an extension due to “overwhelming interest”, received 162 formal responses across three critical freight corridors. The RFI portal alone registered 11,600 visits, signalling a big private sector appetite for participation in South Africa’s struggling rail and port infrastructure.
Judging by the response breakdown, there’s strong interest across all key economic corridors: 51 responses for the iron ore and manganese corridor stretching from the Northern Cape to Saldanha and Nelson Mandela Bay, 48 responses for the coal and chrome corridor linking Limpopo and Mpumalanga to Richards Bay, and 63 responses for the container and automotive intermodal corridor connecting Gauteng to Durban, the Eastern Cape and Western Cape.
Read more: Barbara Creecy opens door to private sector as logistics crisis deepens
Creecy, who launched the RFI in March, has been clear about the government’s intentions: attract private investment and expertise to bring South Africa’s logistics infrastructure to world-class standards while maintaining public ownership of strategic assets.
