Latest news with #TransnetFreightRail
The Citizen
12-06-2025
- The Citizen
Elderly mother and son shot dead in KwaZulu-Natal
Police were on scene for further investigations. A mother and son have been shot dead in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson said they responded to numerous calls of a shooting incident on Sarnia Road before Stella Road in the Hillary area on Wednesday at about 7:45pm. Crime scene 'On arrival, paramedics found Saps already in attendance and were shown into a house. Paramedics found two people believed to be a mother in her sixties and a male believed to be her son in his thirties who had sustained gunshot wounds to their heads. 'Paramedics assessed both of them; however, they showed no signs of life, and both were declared deceased on the scene,' Jamieson said. Jamieson said the circumstances leading up to the shooting are unknown; however, police were in attendance and will be investigating further. ALSO READ: Former Stellenbosch mayor Nyaniso Jindela shot dead Warrant of arrest Meanwhile, police have issued a warrant of arrest for Lucky Boitumelo Molefe, a former Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) employee, in connection with the murder of a 30-year-old engineer in Vereeniging. Armard Swart was shot in a hail of bullets while seated in his vehicle outside his workplace on 17 April 2024, allegedly by two suspects driving a white Hyundai i20. Police said Swart sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was declared dead on the scene. Swart was shot 23 times. Investigation Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Vincent Mukhathi said an intensive investigation led by the head office organised crime team and crime Intelligence led to the arrest of four suspects, including one who was suspected to be behind the murder. 'It was reported that the suspects orchestrated the assassination in order to silence him after he blew the whistle about fraud and corruption that was linked to a Transnet tender contract. 'Molefe from Johannesburg has been in hiding since December 2024, and police have been searching for him,' Mukhathi said. ALSO READ: Two arrested and charged for IFP deputy chief whip's 'assassination'
TimesLIVE
25-04-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
Transport dept to spend millions to fix KZN's potholes and get bullet train on track
Fixing kilometres of potholes, getting a bullet train between Gauteng and Durban on track, fixing flood-damaged infrastructure, helping regional airports to fly and pushing for port efficiency is on the KwaZulu-Natal transport's bucket list to grow the province's economy. This emerged during the presentation of the department's R13bn budget for the 2025/26 financial year by MEC Siboniso Duma at the provincial legislature on Friday. Duma said the department will spend R9.2bn (over 70%) of the total budget on transport infrastructure; mainly the 34,405km provincial road network, of which 8,705km is paved and 25,699km unpaved. 'Over R 3.8bn will be spent on constructing new infrastructural projects, while over R 4.3bn will maintain our road network. Over R 102m will be spent on infrastructure planning and design, with over R927m being allocated to support programmes within transport infrastructure,' he said. He noted the paved network needed heavy investment in maintenance and rehabilitation including the patching of potholes. The department allocated a budget of more than R216.5m towards the programme of Black Top Patching in the current financial year. 'In the 2023/24 financial year the department procured 55 trucks at a cost of R103m to tackle the backlog of 3.12-million m2 of potholes,' said Duma. 'We intend to procure a further 25 trucks to reinforce our efforts to eradicate potholes on our network. The department has also appointed more than 100 road worker aids and foremen to be on the front lines in our fight against potholes.' Duma, together with KwaZulu-Natal premier Thami Ntuli and Umgungundlovu district mayor Mzi Zuma, launched the programme before his budget presentation. 'We are in the process of appointing a specialist automated road rehabilitation and pothole patching service provider to deliver a speedy means of pothole patching in strategic areas of our province. This exercise will contribute greatly towards the capitation and development of small contractors and employment of targeted labour.' A significant amount of the budget will be spent on repairing flood-damaged infrastructure, including the completion of rehabilitation projects in the Empangeni, Durban, Ladysmith Pietermaritzburg regions. Duma also revealed that upgrading freight and aviation networks in the province is among the key priorities for the department. He said they will work with national government and follow existing provincial policy initiatives to develop an effective freight transportation system to support economic growth in KwaZulu-Natal. The national department of transport divided Transnet Freight Rail into a Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager (TRIM), which will manage and maintain rail infrastructure, and Transnet Freight Rail Operating Company (TFROC) which will open the market to third parties. Duma said they will align themselves with this arrangement and will have a dedicated team working with the national department and other stakeholders to undertake this work. 'Undoubtedly, this arrangement will ensure revenue generation to fund the rehabilitation of the rail network.' He said his department had earmarked two railway branch lines to revive: one in Durban Metro and another in Dr Nkosazana Zuma local municipality. Regarding aviation, he said they have been working with economic development to assist regional airports to grow and be compliant with the regulations of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). He reiterated the importance of the transport and logistics sectors for the local economy and stated that the two major KZN KwaZulu-Natal ports, Richards Bay and Durban, were central to it. 'Both ports are economically strategic not only to KwaZulu-Natal but also to the national economy since they are linked to the economic heartland of South Africa, Gauteng, via our road infrastructure. 'The Port of Durban is also a transit point for cross-border container traffic for our neighbouring countries and a gateway to Southern Africa. The ports of Richards Bay and Durban are important contributors to international trade and significant enablers of South Africa's and the province's economic development.' He said the proposed bullet train between Durban and Gauteng will be an exciting development that will bridge the gap between the two provinces and added that the department will be part of a Freight Indaba with other key industry stakeholders.
