Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) has set up a war room together with the South Africa Police Service (SAPS) in a bid to deal with a surge in infrastructure theft, as well as recent acts of sabotage and vandalism on its key coal corridor from Ermelo, in Mpumalanga, to Richards Bay, in KwaZulu-Natal. On December 20, a 200-wagon coal train derailed at Elubana, near Richards Bay, after saboteurs cut a portion of the line using a blowtorch. No injuries were reported, but 51 wagons derailed and TFR issued force majeure notice.
