South Africa Coal, Metal Exporters to Spend Billions on Rail

South African coal and iron-ore exporters aim to sign agreements with state-owned logistics company Transnet SOC Ltd. in February that could pave the way for them to spend billions of rand to help fix crucial rail lines and boost shipments.

Organizations representing firms including Glencore Plc and a unit of Anglo American Plc are negotiating the terms of the pacts with Transnet, said Ian Bird, head of transport and logistics for B4SA, a business group that’s partnering with the government to revive South Africa’s sub-standard transport and energy infrastructure and operations.

The collapse of freight-rail lines due to poor maintenance and theft of equipment saw coal exports plunge to a 30-year low of 48 million tons in 2023, while iron-ore railings slumped to the lowest in a decade. While coal railings improved to 52.1 million tons in 2024, the first increase since 2017, that was well short of a 60-million ton target. I…