TRANSNET Rail Infrastructure Manager (TRIM), the newly formed state rail entity, has cancelled a R1.1bn request for proposals to lease out 11 rail sidings after bidders complained of an unfair and rushed process, said News24 in a report on Wednesday.
The tenders, covering sidings across TRIM’s eastern, western and central regions, were first advertised in November 2025 before being withdrawn and readvertised in June this year. Insiders said several companies had initially been disqualified, and senior executives then manipulated the reissued tender to favour those excluded parties, News24 reported.
A siding is a short secondary track and loading bay where trains park wagons, typically used by freight customers along the line. The projected contracts, expected to run for at least ten years, were valued at between R550m and R1.1bn depending on siding capacity.
The June notice caused further confusion by introducing new compliance requirements linked to the Financial Sector Conduct Authority and Prudential Authority, alongside a two-day bidding window. TRIM cancelled the process at the end of June, citing an “irregularity” in the bid documentation without elaborating further.
Responding to News24 questions, Transnet said the RFPs were withdrawn after an anomaly was found relating to bid requirements, adding that the decision followed internal governance processes, including oversight by internal audit. It said a new RFP was being finalised to give bidders a fair and transparent opportunity to participate.
TRIM was established under President Cyril Ramaphosa’s reform programme to separate Transnet’s infrastructure from its operations and open the rail network to private competition, following years of state capture-related decline.
