‘Not one’ CSR locomotive made in South Africa, economic research group claims

Research commissioned by independent economic research institution Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) has found that, despite local-content obligations, not one of the China South Rail (CSR) locomotives being procured by Transnet has been assembled in South Africa and that all have been manufactured in China. The research, conducted for TIPS by the Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development, says the findings have been verified by scrutinising South Africa’s import bill for locomotives, which has grown significantly. “The imports were less than $50-million per year through 2013, but then climbed to $100-million in 2014 and $550-million in 2015,” TIPS reports in its latest ‘Real Economy Bulletin’.