CAPE TOWN, Sept 25 – South Africa’s state-owned freight and logistics operator, Transnet SOC Ltd., is seeking a private-sector partner to help finance, expand and operate the country’s key manganese export corridor, in a project estimated to require as much as R44 billion ($2.7 billion).
According to a Bloomberg News report, Transnet issued a request for qualifications on Friday for private-sector participation in the Ngqura manganese export corridor, which connects mining operations in the Northern Cape with port infrastructure in the Eastern Cape.
The corridor forms part of Transnet’s broader strategy to bring private capital and operational expertise into critical freight infrastructure. The company says private-sector participation is being pursued where investment requirements are too large for Transnet to fund alone, where private expertise can improve efficiency, or where partnerships can strengthen non-core operations.
The Cape Corridor, which serves as a major manganese export route, connects mining areas around Hotazel in the Northern Cape with the ports of Gqeberha and Ngqura in the Eastern Cape. Transnet describes it as the primary export channel for South Africa’s manganese industry.
The planned investment is aimed at expanding capacity across both rail and port infrastructure, allowing South Africa to handle larger manganese volumes while improving the efficiency and reliability of the export supply chain.
Transnet has previously outlined plans to consolidate manganese exports through Ngqura, including an initial 16 million tonnes per annum export terminal. The company has said private-sector participation would be required to help fund the design and construction of the terminal.
Manganese is strategically important to South Africa’s mining and export economy. Transnet’s strategic review said the country exported 20.5 million tonnes of manganese ore through its ports in the 2022/23 financial year, with about 73% transported by rail.
The new corridor initiative comes as Transnet expands its use of private-sector partnerships across its freight network. In June 2026, the company advanced its rolling-stock partnership programme to the request-for-proposals stage for the establishment of a leasing company, while other initiatives have targeted private participation in bulk mineral terminals.
The manganese corridor therefore represents a significant infrastructure opportunity for investors and logistics operators, while also forming part of South Africa’s broader effort to increase mineral-export capacity and improve the performance of its freight rail system.
