South African Transport Minister Barbara Creecy released for public consultation the government's draft National Rail Master Plan, which aims to mobilize 2 trillion rand ($120 billion) in public and private investments over 30 years to increase rail freight volumes, Engineering News reported on April 23. This comes as the Business Leadership Association South Africa raised South Africa's reform completion index by 0.4% to 71.75, but noted that reform momentum has decelerated in the first quarter of 2026, pointing to delays in publishing the country's Network Statement for railways.

South Africa's rail freight volumes stood at around 220 million tons annually in the late 2010s, but this figure fell to below 150 million tons in 2022-23 due to poor maintenance, equipment shortages, corruption and an uptick in vandalism. The Network Statement outlines key conditions train-operating companies must meet to access South Africa's rail network, including tariffs. It was first published in December 2024 and has been revised several times following consultations with stakeholders, but its fourth version — due to be published in February 2026 — has not been unveiled. Many participants say the latest version of the statement leaves rail projects unbankable by leaving high costs and risks on investors.