BOLDEN African News · Wednesday 4 November 2026
Grindrod to start hauling coal to Mozambique on Transnet's network in 2027
Grindrod plans to move about 288,000 tonnes of coal from Mpumalanga to its Matola Terminal in Mozambique in its first year on Transnet's North-East corridor, starting in 2027, and completed a test train round trip on the line on 2 November. Transnet's rail infrastructure unit has signed access agreements with 11 private train operating companies, including Grindrod. Transnet carried 167.9 million tons of freight in the year to March 2026, up 5%.
Why it matters
It is one of the first concrete uses of South Africa's open-access rail reform, which aims to move 250 million tons a year by rail by 2029.
Source: Club of Mozambique (Reuters) · 4 November 2026