Transnet plans ‘army’ of guards, drones to protect key rail corridor
South Africa's state-owned freight group Transnet is deploying a large security force, including drones and K9 units, to protect its central rail corridor. The network has been plagued by frequent theft and vandalism, which disrupts critical commodity exports and regional logistics.
Why it matters
Securing rail infrastructure is vital for South Africa's economic stability and its role as a logistics hub for neighboring landlocked countries.
Freight and rail group Transnet aims to assemble an army of security guards and deploy drones to protect its central corridor from theft and vandalism as it prepares to open the rail network to private sector operators.
Protecting the corridor, geographically spread over three provinces (Gauteng, the Free State and the North West), has proved to be a difficult task , with the corridor reporting nine theft incidents daily in the third quarter of the 2025/26 financial year.
Incidents in the central corridor include overhead track equipment and signal cable theft, robberies, vandalism and theft of perway components such as fastenings and wooden sleepers, with crime syndicates cashing in on the illicit copper market.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in