Interlink trucks cause 125 000 times more wear to South Africa’s roads than passenger vehicles do, and heavy vehicles cause R67 billion worth of damage to roads per year.
By Charl van Rooyen
Diaan Venter, a researcher at the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz), shared these statistics at the annual Agbiz media day in Pretoria on 5 December, speaking about the state of infrastructure and logistics in the country.
External costs of road freight are also 11 times higher than those of rail freight.
Rail transport is up to 44% cheaper than road transport, but remains underutilised. On the other hand, road transport remains more competitive due to reach, flexibility, and the speed at which goods can be moved.
Also read: Douglas community heading to court over crumbling Northern Cape roads
Farmers Hit Hard by Rising Logistics Costs
The agricultural sector bears the brunt of rising logistics costs and limited access to markets. Transport accounts for 57% of logistics costs in South Africa, which is significantly higher than the international average of 39%.
Aging Roads and Mounting Maintenance Backlogs
An estimated 76% of the country’s national roads have already exceeded their 20-year design lifespan, and provincial roads are in an even worse condition. The road maintenance backlog is estimated at R78 billion.
Total road maintenance costs increased sharply from R197 billion in 2014 to R410 billion in 2018.
Also read: Farmers need good roads
Ambitious Targets to Revive Rail Freight
Venter says rail freight reached a peak of 220 million tonnes of goods between 2017 and 2018. By 2023, this had dropped to 140 million tonnes, before recovering to 161 million tonnes in 2024.
The goal is to move a total of 250 million tonnes by rail by 2029. Achieving this target would require R70 billion in investment in rail infrastructure, annual maintenance spending of R14 billion, and investment of R300 billion in track and rolling stock.
Third-party access to the infrastructure in 2026/27 is expected to unlock R100 billion in private investment.
“There are calls to rationalise branch lines to enable private use,” Venter says. There are currently 600 unused locomotives that could be leased to private operators.
Also read: Largest private investment ever in South Africa’s rail freight sector
