From wagons to rail: the transformation of South Africa's transport network

THE drivers of change in South Africa consisted of the pentagon of race, rail, gold maize and war.

- Dr Pali Lehohla

I will focus on the vertex of rail.

Although today there is very little rail in existence compared to what it used to be in the 1960/80's, it was pivotal to South Africa's advancement.

The first rail line was one constructed in 1860.

It was three kilometres long and connected the Market Square in town to the Point.

The Natal Railway Company was responsible for this.

It is said that the Natal Mercury had this to say about this initiative "It will substitute the railway age of animation for the wagon age of sloth. It will set upon this portion of barbarism-bound continent the truest seal of the Englishman's presence. It will supersede a state of plodding but primitive action for one of modern enterprise and rapid progress."

Rail then was the main infrastructure for freight and passengers for more than a 120 years ago.

This led to some deciding to crown South Africa as a railway country.

The Netherlands-South African Railway Company (NZASM) in 1887, was responsible for constructing the rail line from Pretoria to Lourenço Marques in what was the Portuguese East Africa Colony.

There was also a shorter line constructed as well.

This connected Pretoria to Johannesburg.

In 1861 a small steam engine was imported from Scotland.

The line was to be from the Cape Town harbour to Wellington, a distance of 70 kilometres.

As noted earlier with the discovery of diamonds in Kimberly in 1869, the future of rail could not be brighter.

But a bigger shine on rail was sparked by the discovery of gold on the Reef.

This strengthened the vision of Cecil Rhodes who set his eyes on constructing a railway line from Cape to Cairo.

The rail from Kimberly would stretch to Vryburg, Mahikeng in 1891 a distance of 363 kilometers.

Around the same time a whole network of rail infrastructure was commissioned.