According to the Angolan news agency AIM, “Spoornet” (sic) is to manage the Benguela Railway in Angola, once the current rehabilitation works are complete. No confirmatory information has been received from Transnet at this time. AIM says Spoornet is the main rail operator in South Africa, owned by Transnet, “the holding company of the state” It adds: “At a later stage Spoornet will acquire equity stake in the CFB”.

CFB stands for Caminhos de ferro de Benguela, the 1,350km railway running from the port of Lobito to Dilolo on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The entity became state-owned in 2001, on expiry of a 99-year lease held by a British company.
Management of the railway by Transnet, AIM explains, has been the subject of discussions in which Angola was represented by the GRN (National Reconstruction Office) director-general Vieira Dias “Kopelipa”. The rehabilitation of the three railways in Angola has been the direct responsibility of GRN, “which participates in the CIF China International Fund.”

CIF, it is explained, ”has the status of general contractor”. In that capacity, it sub-contracted several Chinese companies which are carrying out the reconstruction along different sections of the railway. The work has been delayed by “technical and bureaucratic” difficulties, aggravated by the extent of destruction suffered by the line. It is now expected that the line (part of which is currently operational) will reopen throughout in 2011.

AIM says that “further privatisation” is planned, “and in that context, investors and Spoornet will become partners of the state. The management of CFB by Spoornet will initially be made by a management contract to come into force by the time of reopening the road. The privatisation process will likely open two years later.”

The report concludes: “The entry of Spoornet into CFB is seen as a reflection of their desire to increase the prominence which already has the organisation and operation of networks of cross-border rail systems in Southern Africa. Italy’s Tor di Vale (AM 029) was the initially selected partner for the CFB.”

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