Transnet Issues RFP to return long-standing Locomotives to Service to meet Customer Demand

In a further effort to normalise freight operations in South Africa, Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) has issued an open competitive tender inviting eligible original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to step in to rehabilitate the non-operational Chinese-manufactured locomotives awaiting critical spare parts. This follows on the impasse with the CRRC E-Loco Supply, the Chinese stateowned supplier of locomotives. CRRC is unwilling to engage with the relevant authorities in South Africa to normalise its operations in the country. Details on the matter of the CRRC has been widely published. TFR has published the…

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South Africa : Spectacular recovery at Cape Town International Airport over December 2022

Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger today warmly welcomed preliminary statistics received from Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), which showed that Cape Town International Airport recorded a spectacular recovery in passenger numbers during the peak season month of December when compared to pre-pandemic numbers. Minister Wenger said: “These preliminary statistics received from ACSA show that Cape Town International Airport recorded 266 656 international 2-way passenger numbers for December 2022, resulting in a spectacular 95% recovery when compared to December 2019. The domestic terminal, for the same month,…

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Premier Alan Winde Welcomes Partial Resumption of Eerste River-Bellville Train Service

Premier Alan Winde cautiously welcomes Metrorail’s partial resumption of the train service between Eerste River and Bellville in Cape Town this morning. The service has been suspended since the Covid-19 national state of disaster was implemented in 2020. According to Metrorail, services would have resumed in December 2022 but were delayed due to “environmental issues”. Today’s reintroduction of the service will see the train depart from Bellville station, stopping at Kuils River, Blackheath, Meltonrose, and Eerste River stations. The Premier said, “While this much-needed train service is good news for…

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PRESS RELEASE South African Airways and Kenya Airways Sign Codeshare agreement; Customers can enjoy seamless connections in Africa

Nairobi, KE, 19th July 2022– Kenya Airways (KQ), Kenya’s national carrier, and South African Airways (SAA) have signed a codeshare agreement that opens more destinations for seamless travel opportunities. As demand for air travel rebounds, the code-sharing agreement will see each airline sell, under its own code, flights operated by each other; South African Airways or Kenya Airways. SAA’s customers will continue to have the ability to earn Voyager Miles on these new codeshare flights. The deal enables travelers to combine flight segments and baggage on a single ticket. Passengers…

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Ghana: Government and Thelo DB Consortium to Sign US$3.2 Billion Rail Project Contract

The signing ceremony of this contract which will take place during a ministerial program organized by the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) in Accra at the Labadi Beach Hotel, will be attended by several personalities from the country and the continent. These include: H.E. Nana Addo Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana, H.E. John-Peter Amewu, Minister of Railway Development of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Ebrahim Patel, Minister of Trade and Industry of South Africa, H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the Secretariat of the African Continental…

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TNPA employs its biggest cohort of interns to address youth unemployment

Approximately 288 South African unemployed graduates have commenced a two-year internship programme, thanks to what Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) considers as its largest single recruitment activity executed across its port system designed to address the high rate of unemployed youth. The young graduates who come from various port cities and nearby rural communities began their internship journey on 01 July 2022 and have been allocated to TNPA’s head office in Ngqura and its eight commercial ports, Dredging Services as well as Lighthouses and Navigational Services…read more

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2022 PROCUREMENT INDABA BACK IN PERSON, OFFERING VITAL NETWORKING AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING FOR THE PROFESSION

This year’s Smart Procurement World Indaba, South Africa’s largest and longest-standing event for procurement and inbound supply chain professionals, will be held in person again for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year marks the 16th annual Smart Procurement World Indaba. The event takes place from 12 to 15 September 2022 at Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand. It will be held under the theme “Glocalised Procurement – Think Global, Act Local”. “‘Glocalisation’ in procurement is more than just looking at what can be procured globally. It’s a…

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SUPPLY CHAIN COMMUNITY’S FIRST IN-PERSON GATHERING SINCE COVID-19 WAS A HUGE SUCCESS

More than 600 supply chain professionals from Africa and around the world met in Cape Town for the 44th annual SAPICS Conference, hosted by The Professional Body for Supply Chain Management. It was the first in-person gathering of the SAPICS supply chain community since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic more than two years ago and the organisers report that it was a “huge success”. Social media users have concurred, with supply chain professionals taking to their social media platforms to commend the compelling presentations, the organisation of the conference,…

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FUEL PRICE HIKE WILL DRIVE UP COSTS ACROSS VIRTUALLY ALL SUPPLY CHAINS

South Africans should brace themselves for the hard hitting and far-reaching impact of the fuel price hike, which will increase costs across entire supply chains, says MJ Schoemaker, president of SAPICS, The Professional Body for Supply Chain Management. “Transport companies and logistics service providers that are paying more for their diesel will have to push these costs through to their customers in the form of a fuel surcharge. However, it is not only transport costs that will be affected. What many South Africans are underestimating is how the petrol and diesel price…

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BOLLORÉ LOGISTICS SOUTH AFRICA: EMPOWERING YOUTH THROUGH LEARNERSHIP PROGRAMMES

As South Africa wraps up Youth Month, in commemoration of the Soweto uprising 46 years ago (16 June), the reported official youth (15-34 years) unemployment rate, for the first quarter of 2022, remains at a staggering 65.5%. The Youth in South Africa continue to be disadvantaged in the labour market, with an unemployment rate higher than the national average, yet at the same time, the country has a shortage of suitably qualified people. Recognising the need for businesses to make an impact and provide more inclusive pipelines for the youth,…

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