Zimbabwe turns to private firms to boost freight rail volumes

Zimbabwe's State-owned railway operator has opened its network up to private players, including a unit of South Africa's Grindrod, as it seeks to boost freight volumes that had collapsed after decades of underinvestment, an official said. National Railways of Zimbabwe hauled 12-million tons of cargo annually at its 1990s peak, but now manages less than three-million tons owing to a lack of locomotives and poor maintenance of its rail infrastructure.