Zodidi Mhlana

Commuters used to filthy, overcrowded trains, which often arrive late and lack adequate security, now have an alternative — the Soweto Business Express. Launched in July this year, the Soweto Business Express operates during peak hours, travelling between Naledi in Soweto and Johannesburg Park Station in less than 45 minutes.

Road safety is a critical component in providing transport infrastructure and South Africa’s record is disastrous. The numbers are only worsened when heavy vehicles such as trucks are involved. Safer trucks mean safer roads for all users. “We are seriously concerned that truck drivers tend to exceed the speed limit at several locations on the N3 route,” said Miles le Roux, traffic engineer at the N3 Toll Concession.

Mozambique has made great strides since the end of its civil war in 1992, but the country is struggling still to empower its 20-million citizens, most of whom live in abject poverty. About 80% of Mozambique’s poor live in rural areas. While farming is their main source of income, agricultural productivity is low and most of the rural population survives at subsistence level.