For Southern Africa’s largest railway sleeper manufacturer, Colossal Concrete Products (CCP), this year’s Southern African Railways Association (SARA) conference and expo in Johannesburg, was an invaluable opportunity to showcase its capabilities, identify opportunities and network with key stakeholders who are poised to make Africa’s long-awaited rail revival a reality.
Chief Executive Officer Gwen Mahuma-Madida is excited to see the beginnings of a rail revolution after many years of under-investment and lack of maintenance: “In line with the SARA expo’s theme of Transporting Africa Forward: accelerating rail growth to boost mobility and economic activity cross Africa, we saw a more positive mindset. We welcome African governments’ commitments to upgrading freight rail – and look forward to seeing CCP play a significant role in developing, repairing and maintaining a network of rail corridors that will become the backbone of Africa’s economy.”
Keeping track of African development
Mahuma-Madida points out that CCP – which has the capacity to manufacture at least 1 million sleepers per annum at its Brakpan and De Aar facilities – has long been viewed as an innovator in rail.
The development of a unique and sustainable system of modular, portable ‘project factories’ which cater for specific pan-African initiatives and can be dismantled post-completion, gives the company a competitive edge further from home. At the same time, these minimise project risk.
“Project factories not only enable us to support development, but facilitate the upskilling of local communities and the use of local resources. As a black women-owned, Level 1 B-BBEE manufacturer, CCP is a quintessentially African company which fully understands clients’ needs and challenges in an African context – and fully appreciates why local beneficiation and job creation are essential,” she notes.
Mahuma-Madida underscores Transport Minister Barbara Creecy’s observations at the SARA Congress that this is a complex time for African economies in the wake of disruptive import tariff policies, which are undermining long-standing trade agreements.
She agrees that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) now takes centre stage and provides important opportunities via high-speed rail projects, urban commuter expansions and the modernisation of freight corridors.
“We view the entire African continent as our market! Already, significant rail projects are emerging on the back of surging demand for minerals and products, the expansion and opening of mines and growing competitiveness of regional supply chains. We are working on some very promising prospects and focusing on Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” explains Sales Executive Mothemane Makhura.
CCP has also made a conscious decision not to mechanise, to avoid reducing its labour inputs – and therefore has a robust production process which can be rapidly repaired.
“We strive to find synergies between technology and utilising our labour force, because Colossal Concrete Products remains committed to creating jobs, and uplifting the individuals who make our African continent great!” advises Makhura.
A track record on local lines
CCP is well positioned to benefit from the national rail reform programme that is already underway in South Africa, and which was discussed at length at the SARA conference.
“To date, we have developed over 40 rail-related products as well as infrastructure products such as poles, masts and culverts integral to the upgrading of rail and other infrastructure. Our product portfolio and track record is extensive, encompassing rail products and projects for local and Sub-Saharan railway networks featuring either Cape or standard gauge tracks,” Makhura points out.
As such, he welcomes the identification of 11 private sector operators for 41 routes across six rail corridors, which are expected to carry an additional 20 million tonnes of freight per annum from the 2026/27 financial year, as well as Transnet Freight Rail’s intention of increasing freight moved by rail to 250 million tonnes per annum by 2029 – and the proposed expansion of the Gautrain – to which CCP has contributed from the outset.
“Colossal Concrete Products has the widest variety and the broadest range of railway sleepers available in Sub-Saharan Africa. We specialise in pre-stressed concrete products, which we produce to very high specifications and differ completely from normal precast products – offering greater strength and durability, which is essential in Africa’s harsh environment.
“Our extensive experience of operating locally and in Africa definitely sets us apart. A highlight was last year’s contract to supply precast concrete railway sleepers for Transnet Freight Rail. We also supply PRASA via third-party contractors, as well as private sector rail projects such as a Northern Cape manganese ore mine,” Mahuma-Madida concludes.
Red Delicious
Douw Steyn – Douw Steyn founded Auto General Insurance in 1985 and turned it into one of the largest insurance companies in South Africa. He has since started similarly successful businesses in the UK (Compare the Market, Budget Insurance). He recently helped to develop Steyn City in Johannesburg, which is one of the most impressive residential estates in the world.