Johannesburg, 29 September 2026 — The manganese export corridor 2026 project is now open for private partners. Transnet issued a request for qualifications on 23 September for a partner to upgrade the rail line from Hotazel in the Northern Cape to the Port of Ngqura in the Eastern Cape. The same partner would also help build a new manganese export terminal at Ngqura. In total, the rail route runs for roughly 1,100 km.
The price tag is also large. Transnet puts the integrated project at R30 billion to R44 billion, according to Freight News and The Herald. About R16 billion would go to the new terminal, while rail infrastructure accounts for R10 billion to R20 billion. Train operations and rolling stock would add about R4 billion. The partnership would run for about 25 years.
Under the proposed structure, Transnet would hold 51% of the terminal and corridor operating company, and the private partner 49%. In addition, a separate company wholly owned by the partner would finance, rehabilitate and maintain the rail infrastructure. The corridor would initially handle about 12.6 million tonnes a year, The Herald reported. Meanwhile, the terminal is designed for 14.7 million tonnes, expandable to 16 million tonnes. Transnet expects the project to deliver “a 20% expansion in manganese exports by rail”.
Why The Manganese Export Corridor 2026 Matters Now
South Africa exported a record 26.2 million tonnes of manganese in 2025, Ecofin reported. That was up from 22.3 million tonnes in 2024. In addition, the country holds about 70% of the world’s manganese reserves. China takes 68% of exports, while India takes 15.6%. However, the export chain is fragmented. Ore currently moves through several facilities around Port Elizabeth and Ngqura. That means extra handling points and heavy reliance on road transport. As a result, the new terminal aims to consolidate those flows. It should also cut costs and environmental pressure in Nelson Mandela Bay.
How Much Manganese Moves By Road
Road carries a large share, too. EBC Financial Group estimated that about 10 million tonnes of manganese exports moved by truck in 2025. That is roughly 38% of the total. EBC also calculated that a 16-million-tonne Ngqura terminal would equal about 61% of last year’s exports. “South Africa’s constraint is no longer ore availability or export demand. It is the cost and reliability of moving bulk minerals from mine to port,” EBC analyst David Precious wrote. For comparison, EBC put chrome road haulage at about 9 million tonnes, or more than 826 trucks a day. Moreover, it estimated road’s cost premium over rail at roughly 40%.
Analysis
What The Manganese Export Corridor 2026 Means For Road Freight
Manganese is one of the few bulk minerals that kept growing this year. The Desk’s July mining production report showed coal and PGMs falling while manganese held up. That growth has largely landed on trucks. For instance, SaferStops counted 1,100 to 1,700 trucks a day on the N10 through Cradock. Yet that stretch has only about 200 secure parking bays, as the Desk reported in its truck stop framework coverage. Consequently, a rail corridor that consolidates manganese at Ngqura targets one of road freight’s busiest bulk lanes. Moreover, it arrives a week after the rail network statement gave private operators 15-year access deals.
The Desk Calculation: How Many Trucks The Corridor Could Replace
Here is the arithmetic, with the assumptions shown. First, take a 34-tonne payload, the basis the Desk has used for every rail comparison. On that basis, 10 million tonnes by road equals roughly 294,000 truck loads a year, or about 800 a day. Next, apply Transnet’s own target. If rail currently carries the other 16.2 million tonnes, a 20% increase adds about 3.2 million tonnes. That equals roughly 95,000 truck loads a year, or about 260 a day. In other words, the corridor as described would take about a third of today’s manganese road volume.
However, the 12.6-million-tonne headline is not the same as 12.6 million tonnes off the road. Much of that volume already moves by rail through Port Elizabeth, and the project consolidates it. Therefore, the net shift is closer to the 20% figure. Furthermore, the timeline matters. Transnet has given no completion date, and the process has not yet reached the proposal stage. So manganese hauliers have years, not months, before rail competes for this tonnage.
Manganese Export Corridor 2026: The Project In Numbers
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Route | Hotazel to Port of Ngqura, about 1,100 km of rail |
| Total cost | R30bn–R44bn over about 25 years |
| Terminal / rail / operations | ~R16bn / R10–20bn / ~R4bn |
| Ownership | Transnet 51%, while the partner holds 49% |
| Corridor capacity | About 12.6Mt a year, although much already moves by rail |
| Terminal capacity | 14.7Mt, then up to 16Mt |
| Stage | Qualification first, then proposals; no completion date yet |
The Numbers Behind The Manganese Export Corridor 2026
Fleet Impact
The Fleet Playbook For Manganese Hauliers
The corridor is a long-term threat but also a short-term opportunity. Until it runs, Transnet’s consolidation plan depends on trucks to keep ore moving to the Eastern Cape ports. Meanwhile, fuel is the cost that decides whether that work pays. On a round trip of roughly 2,000 km at 2.0 km per litre, a side-tipper burns about 1,000 litres. At September’s R30.05 wholesale price for 50ppm diesel, that is about R30,000 a trip. Moreover, if October lands where the Central Energy Fund data pointed on 21 September, each round trip gains about R3,000. So Digit D-Fuel becomes the tool that proves what each load actually burns. Live vehicle tracking for fleet management, in turn, shows the standing time at loading points and ports.
- First, map your manganese exposure by route. Hotazel and Kuruman loads to Port Elizabeth and Ngqura are the tonnage Transnet wants on rail. By contrast, flows to Saldanha, Durban and Richards Bay sit outside this project.
- Second, lock multi-year contracts now. Because the corridor has no completion date, mines still need road capacity for several years. So a long contract signed today prices that certainty in your favour.
- Third, price October’s diesel into every rate. On a 1,000-litre round trip, a R3 rise adds about R3,000. Therefore, a flat rate that ignores it loses money from 7 October.
- Finally, plan overnight stops on the N10. The manganese export corridor 2026 will not add parking. Meanwhile, Cradock already offers only about 200 secure bays for up to 1,700 trucks a day.
Fleet Technology
Fleet Technology For A Bulk Lane Under Review
When a customer weighs rail against road, the haulier with evidence keeps the work. DigitFMS tracking logs loading, transit and offloading times on every Hotazel run. As a result, a mine sees a record rather than a promise. Digit D-Fuel, meanwhile, measures the litres each load consumes, which matters when diesel is heading towards R33 a litre. Driver identification and dashcams also cover the safety questions that mines now ask before they award bulk contracts. Cartrack, Netstar, Tracker, Ctrack and MiX by Powerfleet sell to the same bulk fleets. However, the DigitFMS advantage is local presence. With more than 100 franchise branches, support reaches the Northern Cape and the Eastern Cape rather than stopping at the cities.
Key Numbers: Manganese Export Corridor 2026 At A Glance
Key Numbers · Manganese Export Corridor 2026
RFQ issued 23 September 2026 for a private partner; Hotazel–Ngqura rail about 1,100 km; partnership then runs about 25 years
Cost R30bn–R44bn: terminal ~R16bn, rail R10bn–R20bn, operations and rolling stock ~R4bn; Transnet 51%, partner 49%
Capacity: corridor about 12.6Mt a year initially; terminal 14.7Mt, then up to 16Mt; Transnet target “a 20% expansion in manganese exports by rail”
Exports 2025: record 26.2Mt (2024: 22.3Mt); about 10Mt by road, so roughly 38% (EBC); China 68%, while India takes 15.6%
Desk calculation at 34t: road manganese ≈ 294,000 loads a year, or about 800 a day; the 20% rail target ≈ 95,000 loads, or about 260 a day; round trip ~1,000 litres ≈ R30,000 diesel, so October adds about R3,000
Source: Transnet RFQ as reported by Freight News (25 September) and The Herald (27 September); Ecofin (27 September); EBC Financial Group via African Mining Market; CEF data via TimesLive (23 September).
Questions Answered
Frequently Asked Questions: Manganese Export Corridor 2026
What Is The Ngqura Manganese Export Corridor?
It is a Transnet project to upgrade the Hotazel–Ngqura rail line and build a new manganese terminal at the port. On 23 September, Transnet issued a request for qualifications to find a private partner for about 25 years.
How Much Will The Corridor Cost?
Transnet estimates R30 billion to R44 billion. About R16 billion goes to the terminal, while R10 billion to R20 billion covers rail infrastructure. Operations and rolling stock add about R4 billion.
How Much Manganese Moves By Road Today?
EBC Financial Group estimated about 10 million tonnes in 2025, or roughly 38% of record exports of 26.2 million tonnes. At a 34-tonne payload, the Desk calculates that as about 294,000 truck loads a year, or roughly 800 a day.
Will The Manganese Export Corridor 2026 Take Trucks Off The Road?
Some, but gradually. Transnet targets a 20% increase in manganese exports by rail. On the Desk’s arithmetic, that equals about 95,000 truck loads a year. In other words, it is roughly a third of today’s road manganese volume.
When Will The Corridor Be Operational?
Transnet has not given a date. The request for qualifications is the first stage, and a proposal stage follows. Therefore, road haulage will carry most manganese to the Eastern Cape ports for several more years.
What Should Manganese Hauliers Do Now?
First, map which contracts serve Port Elizabeth and Ngqura. Then lock multi-year terms while mines still need road capacity. Finally, build October’s diesel increase into every rate and plan secure overnight stops on the N10.
Facts checked 29 September 2026. Source: Freight News, The Herald, Ecofin, African Mining Market and TimesLive. Related: Transnet’s 2026 results and the eight-corridor scorecard.
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