Transnet Freight Rail (TFR), which is battling to improve freight volumes, has been caught short after it appointed a contractor with insufficient capacity and a dubious reputation to secure its valuable coal line.
In August last year, a joint venture between Servest, Amahlo Consulting, and Advanced Aerial was awarded the security contract for the 1 800 km coal line which stretches from the Waterberg in the north to Richards Bay. However, according to industry players, the JV failed to deploy sufficient manpower.
The number of security incidents after the JV took over in August soared. The five-year contract was terminated after seven months at the end of March.