Privately held investment group Tsiko Africa, whose rail-operating company Barberry recently secured the lion’s share of the rail slots Transnet is opening to third-party operators as part of its biggest logistics reform in decades, is eyeing a JSE listing within five years.Joburg-based Tsiko Africa, in its first media interview since the Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager (Trim) selected it among the 11 private sector players given access to Transnet’s high-value rail network, has outlined Southern Africa growth plans — and is possibly going public to raise capital.“We are building a company not only for commercial success but also for long-term institutional and industrial impact. A JSE listing will position us to unlock capital, expand our footprint, and participate meaningfully in shaping Africa’s next economic chapter,” Tsiko Africa CEO Pragasen Naidoo said.Trim, set up to manage, maintain and operate the South African rail network, this month announced it had concluded negotiations with the 11 companies that will have access to the rail network for 10 years.Besides Barberry, other players include JSE-listed logistics group Grindrod, diversified miner Menar, The Railway Corporation, TLD Marine, Sharp Logistics, Minrail, Iracema, Motheo Logistics and Interlinks.Together, these companies are expected to introduce an additional 24-million tonnes (Mt) of freight capacity — with the potential to scale to 52Mt over the next five years.Barberry went into the bidding process armed with about 21-million tonnes in commitments from its clients — volumes that saw Trim award it 21 of the 41 slots that were up for grabs.Naidoo said the group will be ready to hit the ground running in September 2027. The slots allocated to the group will see it move coal, chrome, magnetite, fuel, sugar and containers. Chrome and magnetite are two commodities that Transnet has identified as having a robust long-term outlook due to global trends in steel production, stainless steel consumption, and the transition toward low-carbon, green steel manufacturing.Barberry is no stranger to the rail industry, with the outfit already managing 15 rail sidings in South Africa.The group aims to procure 60 locomotives and 2,500 wagons to meet customer demand.Transnet has established a rolling stock leasing platform to provide private train operators access to locomotives and wagons, with a fleet of about 600 locomotives and 20,000 wagons.However, Naidoo said the company’s preference will be to buy the locomotives and wagons it needed.“We are big advocates for getting access to the underutilised rolling stock. We would like to buy what we need. This is because financiers want security of assets. Having a conversation with lenders on leasing agreements is difficult,” Naidoo said.“In parallel, we are engaging other local and international rolling stock manufacturers to get more competition. The whole drive is to reduce the costs of logistics.”Tsiko’s rail ambitions do not end in its home market. The group has also set its sights on rail reforms in Botswana and Mozambique, where it has submitted bids.