Changes at TransNamib
TransNamib has appointed a new interim CEO, a day before its former acting chief executive said he was not to blame for the problems being experienced at the ailing parastatal.
Hippy Tjivikua's reign as acting TransNamib CEO effectively ended on Wednesday, a day before he claimed that he was not responsible for the mess the rail parastatal found itself in.
Tjivikua delivered an update on the rail sector at this week's mining expo on the same day that TransNamib confirmed Michael Feldman as the interim CEO.
TransNamib released a statement late yesterday afternoon saying the decision had been made at a 25 April board meeting.
At the mining expo Tjivikua insisted that he was not to blame for the problems being experienced at the ailing parastatal.
“Please don't blame TransNamib's troubles on Hippy Tjivikua,” he said.
TransNamib has seen its market share drop significantly over the years.
Tjivikua said: “In the 1970s TransNamib transported close to four million tonnes of cargo and this number has dropped significantly. We are only able to load 6% of the total cargo at the port of Walvis Bay. At the moment, our payload is 44 tonnes per wagon.”
Drawing attention to the ageing rail infrastructure, he added that “70% of our rail network is not in a good condition. This boils down to TransNamib not being able to transport goods at the required speed.”
According to him, the current rail network does not meet Southern African Development Community standards.
“Our rail network does not meet SADC requirements. Some sections of the rail are as old as 1928. The Walvis Bay – Tsumeb line is the most important but it is not in a good condition, the Otavi – Grootfontein line is also very old, the Outjo – Otjiwarongo line has been decommissioned, the Gobabis – Windhoek line does not meet the requirements and some sections along the Aus – Keetmanshoop line cannot be loaded to full capacity.”
Because of the bad state of the railways, he said TransNamib's locomotives had to travel at pre-historic speeds. “Sometimes our trains go 15km/h to 20km/h. There are upgrades but we have speed restrictions.”
He also said that if TransNamib locomotives had to travel fast, they would derail owing to the bad state of the rail lines.
While other rail operators have adopted the use of radar systems, Tjivikua revealed that the absence of a control room sometimes meant that TransNamib did not know the exact location of its locomotives.
“We do not have signalling but we are required to meet those standards. We do not see our trains on radar,” he said, adding that TransNamib had to rely on radio technology to track the location of its locomotives.
He said if TransNamib was an airline, it would not have been allowed to operate. “If we were in the aviation industry, we would have been closed. Some locomotives were built to last 20 years and most [TransNamib] locomotives are beyond their lifespan.”
Passing the buck to TransNamib executives before him, he said: “Please don't blame TransNamib's problems on Hippy Tjivikua.”
He said at least N$18 billion would be required to fix the state of affairs, of which N$15 billion would be required to rehabilitate the rail network and N$3 billion to acquire new locomotives.
“Funding for rail is not available at the moment. If new locomotives must be bought, the rail infrastructure must be refurbished. We have communicated our needs to government, they are aware of our needs, however resources are limited.
“The way we do business must change fundamentally,” he said. “The current performance of rail is not good in the country.”
OGONE TLHAGE
Tjivikua delivered an update on the rail sector at this week's mining expo on the same day that TransNamib confirmed Michael Feldman as the interim CEO.
TransNamib released a statement late yesterday afternoon saying the decision had been made at a 25 April board meeting.
At the mining expo Tjivikua insisted that he was not to blame for the problems being experienced at the ailing parastatal.
“Please don't blame TransNamib's troubles on Hippy Tjivikua,” he said.
TransNamib has seen its market share drop significantly over the years.
Tjivikua said: “In the 1970s TransNamib transported close to four million tonnes of cargo and this number has dropped significantly. We are only able to load 6% of the total cargo at the port of Walvis Bay. At the moment, our payload is 44 tonnes per wagon.”
Drawing attention to the ageing rail infrastructure, he added that “70% of our rail network is not in a good condition. This boils down to TransNamib not being able to transport goods at the required speed.”
According to him, the current rail network does not meet Southern African Development Community standards.
“Our rail network does not meet SADC requirements. Some sections of the rail are as old as 1928. The Walvis Bay – Tsumeb line is the most important but it is not in a good condition, the Otavi – Grootfontein line is also very old, the Outjo – Otjiwarongo line has been decommissioned, the Gobabis – Windhoek line does not meet the requirements and some sections along the Aus – Keetmanshoop line cannot be loaded to full capacity.”
Because of the bad state of the railways, he said TransNamib's locomotives had to travel at pre-historic speeds. “Sometimes our trains go 15km/h to 20km/h. There are upgrades but we have speed restrictions.”
He also said that if TransNamib locomotives had to travel fast, they would derail owing to the bad state of the rail lines.
While other rail operators have adopted the use of radar systems, Tjivikua revealed that the absence of a control room sometimes meant that TransNamib did not know the exact location of its locomotives.
“We do not have signalling but we are required to meet those standards. We do not see our trains on radar,” he said, adding that TransNamib had to rely on radio technology to track the location of its locomotives.
He said if TransNamib was an airline, it would not have been allowed to operate. “If we were in the aviation industry, we would have been closed. Some locomotives were built to last 20 years and most [TransNamib] locomotives are beyond their lifespan.”
Passing the buck to TransNamib executives before him, he said: “Please don't blame TransNamib's problems on Hippy Tjivikua.”
He said at least N$18 billion would be required to fix the state of affairs, of which N$15 billion would be required to rehabilitate the rail network and N$3 billion to acquire new locomotives.
“Funding for rail is not available at the moment. If new locomotives must be bought, the rail infrastructure must be refurbished. We have communicated our needs to government, they are aware of our needs, however resources are limited.
“The way we do business must change fundamentally,” he said. “The current performance of rail is not good in the country.”
OGONE TLHAGE
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