By Radarr Africa Business Desk
LAGOS, November 5 (Radarr Africa) – Grindrod will begin hauling coal from South African mines to Mozambique in 2027 under a deal that gives private operators access to Transnet’s freight rail network, according to a Reuters report published by CNBC Africa on November 3.
The route runs from Mpumalanga to the Matola Terminal in Mozambique on Transnet’s North-East corridor. Grindrod plans to move about 288,000 metric tonnes of coal in its first year of operation, the report said.
The private logistics company said it completed a test train round trip on the line on November 2, according to Reuters.
Transnet’s rail infrastructure unit has signed access agreements with 11 private train operating companies, including Grindrod, the report said. Private operators are expected to carry an additional 20 million tonnes of freight a year, supporting the government’s goal of 250 million tonnes of rail freight annually by 2029.
Transnet, the state-owned logistics company, moved 167.9 million tonnes of freight by rail in the year ended March 2026, up 5 per cent from the previous year, Reuters reported.
On Radarr Africa’s calculation from the reported figures, reaching 250 million tonnes would require volumes to rise by about 82.1 million tonnes from the 167.9 million tonnes moved in the year to March 2026, and the 20 million tonnes expected from private operators would account for roughly a quarter of that gap.
The report did not give the value of the Grindrod contract, the names of the mines supplying the coal, or the other ten private operators. It did not say when in 2027 hauling will start or what Grindrod will pay Transnet for access to the line.
Reuters did not quote Grindrod or Transnet executives. Its account of the deal and of the test run is attributed to the companies in general terms.
The agreements are part of South Africa’s push to open Transnet’s network to private train operators as part of efforts to lift freight volumes. The report framed the access agreements as the mechanism through which the government expects private operators to add 20 million tonnes a year.
The coal moves across the border to the Matola Terminal, which lies in Mozambique. The report did not give details of that terminal’s capacity or of any agreements with Mozambican authorities.
Reuters said hauling will begin in 2027, a statement that fixes the timetable for Grindrod’s first commercial coal movements on the North-East corridor but leaves open how quickly volumes may rise after the first year.
