JOHANNESBURG - President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa’s deteriorating rail network and congested ports cost the economy R1-billion a day.
Speaking at the inaugural National Transport Conference on Monday, Ramaphosa called for changes in the transport sector to re-establish rail as the backbone of the country’s logistics network.
He said approximately 69 percent of all freight currently moves on roads, placing immense pressure on the network and contributing to road damage.
“Inefficiencies in logistics are estimated to cost our economy close on, believe it or not, a billion rand a day. That is a cost we should not and need not bear. We therefore need to do something about it," Ramaphosa said.