Interior rail and road links to benefit SA

TSHIRELETSO MOTLOGELWA
Staff Writer | Wednesday November 30, 2011 00:00

Speaking at the on-going Botswana Coal and Energy conference yesterday, Prevost said the region is in desperate need of infrastructural development to cater for its rapidly developing economy, especially looking at the export-focused mining sectors in the region's countries.

He said South Africa's railway network, roads and ports cannot sustain the region's logistical requirements. 'Even in South Africa, there is need to find alternative routes to the western and Asian markets,' said Prevost.

He said the future of coal looks bright as the demand for energy grows especially in the rapidly developing economies of Asia, China and India.

'We cannot move coal through a pipeline,' he quipped, adding that worldwide $721 billion will need to be spent on infrastructure development if the full value of the world's coal resources is to be utilised.

Botswana sits on 212 billion tons of coal reserves and has been keen to reach the Asian markets where the Asian giants are desperate for energy and other resources to develop their economies.

Botswana's attempts to link its coal mines through the Namibian and Mozambican ports needs to be pursued since it holds the secret to realizing the country's diversification drive.

'Botswana is landlocked. It sits at around 1,000km from the coast. Therefore, the need for these connections to the west and east would be central to making the coal industry viable,' argued Prevost. 

Botswana's recently announced programmes to develop a rail link to Walvis Bay in Namibia and another one through Zimbabwe to the Mozambican coast in order to transport coal and other minerals to the western and Asian markets. The gathering of industry giants in the mining sector is expected to continue today.