Commodity boom untapped as South Africa fights rail woes

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa is missing out on some of the riches on offer from the commodities boom as a rail network beset by problems hobbles its exports.

While coal prices recently soared to a record and iron ore is historically high, miners are being forced to stockpile supplies as state-owned Transnet SOC Ltd’s rail network buckles under issues from cable theft to breakdowns, compounded by years of corruption.