Author:charleen-clarke

Bah humbug! Transnet ruins Xmas… and SA too December 13, 2023 It’s Christmas! But instead of saying “Ho, Ho, Ho,” another expression springs to mind: “Bah humbug!” Bah humbug is, of course, the phrase most famously used by Ebenezer Scrooge, the cold-hearted miser who despises Christmas, in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It’s become synonymous with anyone putting a damper on Christmas – which is precisely what Transnet is doing. As Ian Pettey writes on page 40 of this issue […]

Private sector to the rescue! November 10, 2023 The Western Cape is facing an export crisis, and it needs to bring in the cavalry. “With the good rains we have experienced, our agricultural goods for export are anticipated to increase by 25%. This is a wonderful opportunity to increase exports and to bring in more revenue,” reveals Mireille Wenger, Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities. In direct contrast to this opportunity, there has been significant deterioration at the […]

From hero to zero November 1, 2023 I was so chuffed to take a ride in the incredible Volta Zero at the recent IAA Mobility fair in Munich. Little did I realise how significant that test drive would be… The IAA Mobility exhibition was an absolute blast. There were all sorts of cool vehicles to be seen. Being a truckie, I sought out the trucks, and I found two: a VDL Hydrogen ePower based on a DAF CF Electric and […]

We’re backing the All Blacks! September 25, 2023 Relax, dear readers. I’m not referring to the Rugby World Cup. Instead, I am referring to an amazing competition in New Zealand, which aims to make our industry better, cleaner, and more efficient. We’re supporting this initiative and calling for local entries from truck drivers – who could win bundles of cash! The competition is called Trucking Toward a Better Future, and it is being organised by New Zealand Trucking Media and Resilienz, […]

SaferStops: a driver’s knight in shining armour August 24, 2023 I’m a huge fan of any initiative to help truck drivers, so the launch of the SaferStops Association has me cheering from the sidelines. I believe that truck drivers have one of the worst jobs on the planet. It is fairly tedious and quite thankless. The hours are long. They spend most of their lives away from their families. In Africa, it’s downright dangerous too. It is thus that the […]

Logistics and Transnet are wrecking our country’s growth! July 6, 2023 A fascinating (if depressing) report has revealed that logistics and Transnet are among the factors that are wrecking our country’s growth. Yes, I am well aware that this is hardly breaking news. Our wonderful and incredibly well-informed columnist Nick Porée (who should be our Minister of Transport) writes about this sorry situation in virtually every issue of FOCUS. Indeed, he has even referred to this report in this month’s […]

Cry our beloved drivers June 26, 2023 I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m getting so tired of reading about corruption on our continent. It just never seems to end, and I feel desperately sorry for the drivers who are constantly targeted. Sometimes I think that they have the worst job on the planet. Recently I came across an article about trucking into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It reminded me – once again – why […]