The 500ha Insimbi Ridge logistics precinct will significantly improve export efficiencies through Durban Harbour. On Monday, 10 November, the precinct’s first anchor tenant formally celebrated the start of construction of an immense cold storage facility, including for citrus exports.
By Lloyd Phillips, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
Many of the approximately 4 500 road freight trucks that travel the N3 highway’s Durban-Gauteng logistics corridor daily will eventually no longer need to directly collect and/or deliver at the already congested Durban Harbour and its surrounds. For trucks that must still go to the harbour, their collections and/or deliveries there will be scheduled and they will have dedicated routes for this.
This came to light at Monday’s official launch of the Insimbi Ridge logistics precinct (Insimbi) currently being developed at Cato Ridge in KwaZulu-Natal at a cost of at least R10 billion. This majority private-sector initiative, but with essential support from state structures, will be an inland, or dry, port that significantly improves export and import efficiencies through the long-overwhelmed Durban Harbour.
Insimbi is strategically situated along South Africa’s N3 highway that, since the significant deterioration of the country’s rail freight network, has become an artery for transporting road freight between Durban Harbour, Gauteng and beyond. However, the thousands of heavy-duty trucks arriving and departing the harbour daily have overloaded and congested the harbour and the road infrastructure into and from eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality. In turn, this situation is resulting in significant inefficiencies and costs for all involved, including in respect of South Africa’s exports of agricultural products, especially citrus, through Durban Harbour.
Tiaan van Aswegen is deputy chief executive officer of Assore SA PropCo, which owns the land on which Insimbi is being developed. For approximately 70 years, this site housed the Assmang ferromanganese smelter that, because of overwhelming material and financial constraints, was permanently shut down in July 2025. As a result, about 600 jobs were lost.
Also read: SA citrus exports hit record 203 million cartons – now industry eyes 100 000 new jobs
Up to 10 000 Jobs will be Created
Reverend Musa Zondi, MEC for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, says: “Over its lifespan, the Insimbi Ridge precinct will attract billions in private capital and create up to 10 000 jobs across construction, logistics and manufacturing.”
Although Durban Harbour is a key export port for South African citrus and other perishable agricultural products, its cold storage and bulk handling facilities for these are oversubscribed and inefficient. As things stand, this will be exacerbated by the 6% to 8% annual growth projections for the country’s citrus production and exports until at least 2030.
The Logistics Group’s (TLG) subsidiary, Freight Products and Transport (FPT), already has cold storage and bulk handling operations at Durban Harbour. However, these too are oversubscribed and TLG/FPT has therefore become the first anchor tenant at Insimbi.
Reportedly set to cost close to R1 billion and scheduled to begin operations in February 2027, this investment will comprise a 33 000m2 cold storage and warehouse development capable of storing and handling 15 000 pallets.
Anton Potgieter, TLG’s Chief Executive Officer, says: “Currently we’re handling all citrus and other exports through our facility at Durban Harbour. This new back-of-port facility will feed the front-of-port facility.
“Trucks currently sometimes wait for up to 12 hours at Durban Harbour. Our facility at Insimbi will significantly reduce this costly inefficiency.”
Also read: 3-in-1 Eastern Cape citrus facility is a world first
Private Road to Rail Revolution
There is reportedly a 1.7km private, but dilapidated, rail siding at Insimbi. It is linked to Transnet’s Durban-Gauteng rail freight line.
Sibusisiwe Nodada is Project Lead at the Rail Development Corporation, which will be rehabilitating Insimbi’s rail siding and its linkages with Transnet’s Durban-Gauteng rail freight line, and facilitating private rail freight transport between Insimbi and Durban Harbour.
Potgieter says: “South Africa is entering a new dawn where private rail will be allowed on the Transnet rail network. It’s an extremely exciting development. It’s the first time ever that private operators can now access the network so it can then get access to the ports as well.
“So, we will then send private rail from here to Durban Harbour and obviously then all the way back, increasing efficiencies even further.”
Even fewer road freight trucks will therefore need to enter the Durban Harbour and its immediate surrounds.
Mitchell Brooke, the Logistics Development and Special Export Programme Manager at the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA), welcomes news of TLG/FPT’s development at Insimbi.
“It holds immense promise for the citrus industry. The possibility of accessing the port by rail will be a transformative approach to the value chain.
“This development, along with the other citrus cold stores in the area, will offer growers and their logistics partners a value-added service through collective coordination on long-distance transport to the area as well as short-distance transport to the port for export.”
Nodada says: “Insimbi Ridge does so much more than just add industrial space. It solves national problems. It seeks to create inland capacity to relieve a congested port system. It seeks to move freight from road to rail, reducing carbon emissions and worldwide transport costs. It attracts private capital into a sector that cannot rely on public funding alone.”
Investment in the multimodal Insimbi Ridge is open to all. Full build-out is anticipated to be reached over the next 20 to 25 years.
