South African Cabinet has approved the Road Freight Strategy, which aims to create a regulatory and operational framework, while achieving best international standards of road-freight operations for the transport industry.

Acting Director of GCIS, Phumla Williams, said, “South Africa has been reintegrated into the global economy and the volume of trade via road freights has grown substantially.”

“The transport industry plays a leading role towards contributing to the country’s economy; significantly influencing domestic, regional, and international trade. Our freight logistics is a major factor and stimulus into how the country does business,” she added.

The strategy highlights an urgent need for an operator registration system that will assist in curbing problems such as unlicensed and unroadworthy vehicles that cause most of the pollution and road accidents. The system will further assist in the collation of freight data, planning and regulation of the sector.

By implementing the recommendations in the strategy, the industry will enhance the efficiency of enforcement, promote road safety, improve the protection of the infrastructure, and reduce the environmental impacts.

“This strategy creates a better environment for the transport and freight industry to thrive; it contribute towards the upward trajectory of the economy. Our national comprehensiveness will be enhanced through the promotion of regional trade integration and an improved cross border transport efficiency,” Williams noted.

As part of the current tripartite initiative, the road freight strategy will introduce and maintain quality regulation in the road freight sector through an operator-registration system, linked across various regions.