Only one of TransNamib’s 17 ‘modern’ locomotives still running

Only one of TransNamib’s 17 locomotives bought to modernise the country’s rail network in 2017 is currently operational, a parliamentary oversight report has revealed, exposing the depth of the crisis facing the state-owned railway operator.

The finding forms part of a wider report by parliament’s standing committee on transport, infrastructure and housing, which estimates that TransNamib requires roughly N$1.47 billion to address critical rail infrastructure, locomotive and maintenance challenges.

According to the report, the remaining 16 SSD locomotives are out of service due to technical failures, shortages of spare parts and inadequate transfer of technical expertise.

The committee warned that deteriorating railway tracks, ageing equipment and persistent operational shortcomings continue to undermine rail operations across the country.

It further found that TransNamib faces an annual backlog of approximately N$135 million for locomotive maintenance and spare parts, while immediate maintenance requirements amount to about N$40 million per year.

The report identified about N$694 million needed for the rehabilitation of the Sandverhaar-Buchholzbrunn railway section and another N$600 million for the proposed Aus-Lüderitz sand-shelter tunnel.

Together with the maintenance backlog and immediate repair requirements, the identified costs amount to around N$1.47 billion.

Funding delays 

Parliament conducted oversight visits between 28 August and 1 September 2023 while TransNamib was still working to unlock a N$2.6 billion funding package approved by the Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA).

The facility was earmarked for rolling stock acquisition and rehabilitation, workshop modernisation, signalling upgrades, spare parts procurement and broader operational improvements.

TransNamib spent much of 2023 and 2024 meeting conditions attached to the funding before announcing in July 2024 that the requirements had been satisfied.

Chief executive officer Desmond van Jaarsveld said at the time the funding would be used to acquire locomotives and multipurpose wagons to rebuild freight capacity and improve operational performance.

TransNamib later advertised a N$1.7 billion tender for the acquisition of 23 new locomotives, but works minister Veikko Nekundi cancelled the process in May 2025 over concerns about single sourcing.

The committee’s findings suggest the procurement push was driven by severe operational shortages, with TransNamib reportedly operating with only 24 locomotives instead of the required 34.

The report says the company requires between 20 and 25 new locomotives, the remanufacturing of 10 locomotives, and the acquisition of 300 wagons and tankers.

TransNamib corporate communications manager Alina Garises told Observer that the independent evaluation report for the cancelled N$1.7 billion tender has already been resubmitted to management and the board for consideration.

Ageing infrastructure 

The committee also documented widespread infrastructure decay at railway workshops in Windhoek and Walvis Bay, where it found ageing and obsolete machinery, inadequate lifting equipment, shortages of specialised tools and facilities, and mounting difficulties in maintaining an ageing fleet.

In some cases, rail links to workshops had been removed and never restored, limiting maintenance efficiency.

The report further notes that TransNamib remains dependent on foreign expertise in certain technical areas and continues to struggle with skills transfer and staff retention.

Zimbabwean artisans are reportedly assisting with training and mentorship efforts.

The committee also found that railway telephone infrastructure is no longer functioning in some areas, forcing reliance on radio communications and manual systems considered outdated for modern railway operations.

Several railway stations and facilities, including Lüderitz, Usakos and Arandis, were found to be in varying states of decline.

The report concludes that theft of fuel, copper and railway materials remains a recurring problem and warns that years of neglect will carry an enormous financial cost.

Derailments 

Despite recapitalisation efforts, rail incidents have continued.

In March this year, a Rovos Rail passenger train derailed near Naute south of Keetmanshoop after floodwaters washed away part of a railway bridge, killing Rovos Rail driver Hendrik du Plessis and TransNamib pilot Richard Wimmerth.

Last week, TransNamib confirmed another incident in which stationary wagons experienced uncontrolled movement before travelling along the main line between Usakos and Kranzberg and eventually derailing.

The incidents follow a series of earlier derailments that had already raised concerns about the network’s condition.

In February 2023, a manganese train derailed near Lüderitz, injuring three TransNamib employees.

Two months later, another freight train derailed between Aus and Lüderitz, killing driver Freddie van Tura and assistant driver Andreas Alute.

Following that fatal accident, TransNamib disclosed that approximately 200 derailments and 15 rail-related deaths had occurred across the network during the preceding five years.