Transport and logistics

Major bridge and road projects are underway.

The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) will spend R9-billion on road infrastructure in Mpumalanga. The agency, which is responsible for national roads, is concentrating on the upgrading of the N2 between Ermelo in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal and the R40 between Hazyview and Bushbuckridge.

The performance of the Maputo Corridor has enabled one of South Africa’s biggest logistical carriers to continue to post good financial results. With the N3 highway between Johannesburg and Durban often congested and delays at the ports of Richards Bay and Durban, Super Group reports that the route through Mpumalanga to Mozambique is functioning well for its trucks.

In comparison with December 2019, group revenue increased by 54.4%, with non-South African operations contributing 51% to that figure. Super Group operates in 21 countries.

Trans Africa Concessions (TRAC), the toll road company, will spend R248-million on expanding capacity on the bridge over the Crocodile River and creating an upgraded roads junction at the Montrose interchange. Two new bridges will be built to provide access over the Elands Valley section of the road. The Motheo Group, in a joint venture with WBHO, has been working on the N4 for TRAC, which has also parcelled out some work to Raubex Construction.

The Karino Interchange project on the N4 which provides a link between Mbombela, Kanyamazane, the N4 and access to the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport has also been completed and is operational.

In addition to the Karino interchange, Sanral is working on various other projects in the province, such as the Moloto Road that connects the provinces of Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. On internal roads within the province, severe damage was caused by Tropical Storm Eloise. The Tekwane South Bridge on the D2296 collapsed but it is now back in full operation.

A road that has been identified as a provincial priority is the P216/1 from Secunda to eMbalenhle, which we will be constructed by the provincial government in the 2023/24 financial year. A bridge from Emalahleni city centre to Pine Ridge, Clarinet, Siyanqoba and Verena will improve safety and traffic flow.

Volume of traffic

It has not just been heavy rains that have put a strain on the roads. The heavy traffic that feeds coal mines and power stations is another source of stress. The Provincial Government of Mpumalanga has purchased mechanised pothole-patching vehicles in response to this problem. It is expected that many jobs will also be created in this attempt to improve the strategic road infrastructure network, which includes tourism routes.

Sanral has announced a three-year project which will provide work for small contractors in and around the City of Mbombela. More than R26-million has been allocated to subcontracting which will cover things like litter and minor works, minor maintenance, vegetation and bush clearing.

There is more freight rail traffic in Mpumalanga than in any other province. This is principally because of the transport of coal, but there are also large volumes of chrome, ferrochrome, forestry products, chemicals, liquid fuels and general freight.

The Balfour North to Volksrust section of the Gauteng to Durban mainline carries the largest volumes, most of which is long-haul freight passing through the province. Despite these high rail volumes, a huge amount of mineral product is transported by truck around and out of the province. This puts immense pressure on Mpumalanga’s roads network, particularly in the Gert Sibande District and the Nkangala District.

The statistics relating to coal haulage in Mpumalanga are stupendous. In one 12-hour period, 34 198 tons of general freight were recorded for the section of the N4 highway between Nelspruit and Komatipoort.

Mactransco’s website states that its trucks serving Tshikondeni Coal Mine travel 3.7-million kilometres per year, working all day for six days a week. The fleet of ABF Legend Logistics, a Super Group company, contains more than 200 super-link coal haulage trucks while another company in the group, SG Coal, claims to have one of the biggest fleets of coal haulage trucks in Africa. Coal Tipper Resources operates out of Bethal.

Air access

Eurowings Discover, a new division of Lufthansa, announced in 2022 that it would start flying three times a week to Mbombela from Frankfurt, via Windhoek, in November.

By landing at Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA), German tourists will have quick access to the Kruger National Park.

Online Resources

Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport: www.kmiairport.co.za

Maputo Corridor Logistics Initiative: www.mcli.co.za

Railroad Association of South Africa: www.rra.co.za

South African National Roads Agency Ltd: www.sanral.co.za

Eurowings Discover was launched in July 2021 as a long-haul leisure airline, not to be confused with the low-cost airline, Eurowings. In May 2022 the airline had 16 aircraft.

Airlink, which has 36 destinations in nine African countries, is the other airline that regularly flies into KMIA. Fastjet connects KMIA to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. From there, Fastjet links that destination to the country’s two major cities, Harare and Bulawayo. KMIA serves an average of 260 000 per annum.

Hoedspruit Eastgate Airport is a popular destination for travellers on their way to private game lodges and is also near the Orpen Gate of Kruger Park. SA Express flies to Hoedspruit from Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Middelburg Airfield is one of the larger alternate airports in the province, boasting a 1.9km runway that can accommodate a 737. The annual Middelburg Air Show is held in June. Many game lodges have airstrips and helipads. SA Red Cross Air Mercy Service operates out of the old Nelspruit airport south of the city. ■