Tshepo Kgobe: New CEO at The Gautrain Management Agency (GMA)

Gauteng’s Public Transport Lifeline Vision Aligns with a Commitment to Transformation

By Raine St.Claire

Tshepo Kgobe, is set to assume the role of CEO at the Gautrain Management Agency (GMA), succeeding William Dachs, who will step down on January 3. His forward-looking vision for Gautrain aligns with a commitment to transformation. Gautrain stands as a living testament to the possibilities that emerge when visionary ideas, practical solutions, and a dedication to community development converge and its newly appointed EO, Tshepo Kgobe, aligns the company’s vision with his emphasis on progressive change.

A Gautrain Project Pioneer: A Key Driver of A Key Driver of Strategic Vision

With an engineering background spanning infrastructure, energy, mining, and the railway sector, Tshepo played a pivotal role in the early stages of the Gautrain project, overseeing the engineering and project management of the trackwork subsystem.

As a certified project management professional and multidisciplinary engineer with over 20 years of extensive experience, Tshepo has excelled in managing complex projects and operations in infrastructure, energy, and mining. In his current capacity as the COO of the Gautrain Management Agency, he is instrumental in implementing the agency’s strategic vision.

Tshepo oversees the day-to-day operations of Technical Services, ICT and Knowledge Management, Marketing and Communication, Risk Management, Legal and Compliance Services, as well as Corporate Services, which incorporates Human Capital and Facilities.

Previously, Tshepo held the role of Senior Executive responsible for all Technical and Project services at GMA, managing the concession agreement for Gautrain’s operation on behalf of the Gauteng Province Government. He also oversaw the expansion and extensions of the system. His extensive background includes serving as an Executive Director on the board of Hatch Africa, later appointed as COO in 2020.

Tshepo’s international experience, gained from working in South Africa with Metrorail and in the UK with Corus Rail Consultancy, equips him to perform on a global scale. His career includes roles as a Perway & Facilities operations line manager in the KZN region and senior engineering management in Metrorail head office, focusing on Perway & Structures. Notably, Tshepo led the engineering and project management of the Trackwork subsystem in the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link project, overseeing a budget of R 1.0 billion and ensuring efficiency in design and execution.

Vision

Tshepo envisions transforming Gautrain stations into bustling places for work, shop and gathering, demonstrating a commitment to broader community development. With the GMA finalising an expansion project to nearly triple the rail network’s size, his goals align with Gautrain’s vision of becoming the backbone of public transport in Gauteng.

During the Annual Smarter Mobility Africa Summit in October 2023, he moderated a panel discussion highlighting Gautrain’s groundbreaking 10-year partnership with the taxi industry. The agency’s innovative contracting model with taxi associations resulted in the introduction of midibus routes from key Gautrain stations, fostering community connectivity.

He envisages Gautrain stations transcending their traditional role as mere transit points, transforming into vibrant hubs seamlessly integrating business, retail, and social activities. This ambitious perspective not only commits to efficient transportation but also signifies an investment in the holistic development of communities surrounding Gautrain stations. In 2011, the GMA pioneered an innovative contracting model with taxi associations in the Linbro Park area, resulting in a surge of midibus routes from key Gautrain stations, including Marlboro, Centurion, and Hatfield.

Reflecting on traffic modelling for the entire province in 2013, Tshepo emphasised the inadequacy of existing freeways to handle the escalating vehicle numbers. Predicting a freeway speed reduction to 10 km/h by 2037, he vividly illustrated the congestion between Braamfontein and the Buccleuch interchange. This realisation led to the decisive conclusion that rail must serve as the backbone of public transport in the entire province, with a planned doubling of public transport size by 2023, a goal yet to be achieved.

Further enhancing Gautrain’s accessibility and impact, the agency is in the advanced stages of finalising its expansion project, set to significantly increase the size of the current 80km rail system that only links major economic hubs. New stations are planned in Randburg, Fourways, Sunninghill, Olievenhoutsbosch, Irene, Tshwane East, Hazeldean, Mamelodi, East Rand Mall, Lanseria, and Gautrain, extending its reach to previously inaccessible areas such as Mamelodi, Springs, Dainfern, Little Falls, Cosmo City, Soweto, and Boksburg.

Source: Gautrain Management Agency | SA Government News Agency| FUTURE CITIES AFRICA