The company plans to add seven trains a week on the coal line by mid-December, from 21 a week. Another seven would be added by March, bringing the total to 35 a week.

Transnet is struggling to haul bulk commodities to ports due to a shortage of locomotives and spares, as well as cable theft and vandalism to infrastructure.

This is costing mineral exporters billions of rand in potential export revenues and mining groups have resorted to trucking coal to Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) for shipments to markets including Asia.

South Africa is a mess!