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Fin24 reports that Transnet CEO Portia Derby's concerns around potential job losses in the trucking industry when the country's ailing rail networks start to recover have not landed well in some quarters.
Derby said at a Bloomberg event in Johannesburg that a transport model must be established that would include truckers in the long run. "We have created the demand – our failure on one hand and also the demand of the mining industry has created the trucking industry. For the vast majority of the truckers, they are moms and pops, who when they left work took their pensions and bought a truck because there was an opportunity," she stated. In response, the DA accused her of "effectively admitted to corporate sabotage" at Transnet, by being concerned with trucker's jobs instead of focusing solely on the rail woes. For its part, the Minerals Council SA pointed out that SA employed around half a million people, compared to the 3,500 trucking jobs that were potentially at risk should rail infrastructure improve. Transnet's woes have caused a spike in demand for road freight, as mines struggle to get their goods to ports. In a statement on Friday, Transnet chairperson Andile Sangqu said Derby's comments had been taken out of context. According to Sangqu, Derby had said that, as Transnet increased its ability to carry bulk commodities, thought needed to be given to the future of the trucking industry. "The key opportunity for this sector lies in the last mile of the logistics chain in which Transnet does not participate. This provides an opportunity for better alignment between Transnet and the truckers as rail's performance improves," Sangqu indicated.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Andrew Thompson at Fin24 (subscriber access only)
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