MOTOR CITY: Tshwane needs better freight rail to become SA’s automotive capital
If everyone involved was being honest, Pretoria’s location made it a bad place to set up a carmaking hub. But it can become the gateway to Africa if all the stakeholders, especially the state, work at it.
The city of Tshwane, located in South Africa, seeks to improve its freight rail infrastructure to become the automotive capital of the country. Once perceived as an unsuitable location for car manufacturing due to its central position, Tshwane has the potential to become the gateway to Africa for the automotive industry with the right collaboration from all stakeholders, particularly the state.
During the 2026 SA Auto Week in Durban, Ford Motor Company Africa's president, Neale Hill, was slated to speak but did not have a representative brand presence. Cherie, the latest tenant of the Nissan factory in Rosslyn, Pretoria and its neighbor, BMW, filled the void left by Ford. Gauteng hosts 200 automotive component firms and generates 34.4% of South Africa's GDP, making Pretoria a significant hub for automotive research, development, and technical skills.
Cherie SA CEO, Tony Liu, believes that the company is committed to being a part of South Africa's economic development. However, Liu acknowledges that there are challenges that businesses and citizens alike face, such as infrastructure-cost competitiveness, including water and electricity, and logistics costs, which can significantly impact competitiveness both within Africa and globally.
BMW's Rosslyn plant exports the majority of its production volume, creating structural logistics vulnerabilities due to its inland location from coastal export ports. BMW Group SA CEO Peter van Binsbergen recognizes these challenges and has had issues with logistics, particularly after disruptions caused by Transnet's theft of railway lines and power cables.
Transnet has been a crucial element in the automotive industry's logistics, but its unstable railway lines and power cables have caused significant problems for BMW. The company has engaged with Transnet's CEO, Michelle Phillips, to find solutions to improve logistics through rail infrastructure. Both BMW and Cherie SA are hopeful that their involvement will provide Transnet with more influence to improve rail and truck logistics, ultimately benefiting the automotive industry in Pretoria and South Africa.
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