Treasury Director-General Says South Africa Still Needs a Fully Independent Rail Infrastructure Manager

The remarks set the rail and port reforms side by side: private operators are testing on the network, Cabinet has supported a stand-alone ports authority and Transnet is seeking a strategic partner for the Ngqura Manganese Export Corridor.

For operators and investors, the next point to follow is the technical task team on the corporatisation of the Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager, which Operation Vulindlela targets for December 2026.

Treasury Director-General Says South Africa Still Needs a Fully Independent Rail Infrastructure Manager — The National Treasury Director-General Dr Duncan Pieterse delivering opening remarks, followed by a panel of senior officials who provided insights into the objectives and future plans for Operation Vulindlela Phase II. Photo Credit: South African Government.

National Treasury Director-General Dr Duncan Pieterse set out the state of South Africa’s freight rail and port reforms on 11 November.
Freight rail is open to private operators, and the first privately owned trains have started testing the lines.
Pieterse said government needs a fully independent Rail Infrastructure Manager to ensure a level playing field between Transnet and privately owned operators.
Cabinet supported separating the Transnet National Ports Authority as a stand-alone, state-owned company at its meeting of 23 September 2026.
Transnet issued a request for qualifications for a strategic partner for the Ngqura Manganese Export Corridor on 25 September 2026.
Operation Vulindlela targets December 2026 for establishing a technical task team to finalise the corporatisation of the Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager.

National Treasury Director-General Dr Duncan Pieterse told investors on 11 November that South Africa’s freight rail market is open to private operators and that the first privately owned trains have started testing the lines, but that government still needs a fully independent Rail Infrastructure Manager to ensure a level playing field between Transnet and privately owned operators. He was delivering a keynote address at the Old Mutual Investment Group “Tomorrow” Investment Summit.

Pieterse presented the rail remarks as part of a progress report on Operation Vulindlela, the Presidency and National Treasury’s joint initiative to speed up structural economic reforms. Operation Vulindlela’s progress report for the second quarter of 2026/27 sets December 2026 as the target for establishing a technical task team to finalise the corporatisation of the Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager (TRIM), and describes that work as behind schedule.

On ports, Pieterse said Cabinet recently approved the approach to unbundling the ports authority from Transnet, which he said would help lower the cost of trading and improve South Africa’s competitiveness by levelling the field for terminal operators. Cabinet’s statement on its meeting of 23 September 2026 records that it supported separating the Transnet National Ports Authority to operate as a stand-alone company owned directly by the state.

Pieterse also said Transnet has issued a request for qualifications for a strategic partner for the multibillion-rand Manganese Export Corridor. Transnet’s media centre dates its request for qualifications for the Ngqura Manganese Export Corridor project to 25 September 2026.