Transport

South Africa is home to the farthest-reaching and highest-quality transport network on the African continent. For decades the country’s extensive road, air, rail and sea links have underpinned economic and social development not only in the domestic market but through the region as a whole. In recent years the government has made a concerted effort to shore up South Africa’s infrastructure and connectivity, establishing a handful of large-scale, long-term capital investment programmes, including the 2012 National Infrastructure Plan (NIP), under which the state plans to spend $407.2bn on new and upgraded infrastructure across the transport, energy, water, sanitation, health and education sectors over a 15-year period. Major transport projects include a $1.54bn initiative to revitalise the country’s rail network and a $1.4bn plan to update and expand provincial bus lines. The rapid pace of investment and development in recent years is widely considered to be a reflection of both the sector’s many strengths and long-term potential for continued growth.

This chapter contains interviews with Nazir Alli, CEO, South African National Roads Agency Limited; and Monwabisi Kalawe, CEO, South African Airways.