Transnet has attributed its loss of revenue to a higher pay roll as well as electricity and security expenses.
The state-owned enterprise is also dealing with declining rail, port and pipeline volumes as well as operational challenges such as collisions and community unrest on the coal line, derailments and cable theft.
On Friday, Transnet reported a R1.6 billion loss in the six months to September the 30th.
The rail company says volumes were down by 7.2%, petroleum was also down 7.2% and container volumes were down 1.8%.
It adds that net operating expenses increased by 9.5% to just over R25 billion due mainly to increased labour costs, electricity tariff increases and security.
Transnet says it remains positive about various rail and port volume improvement initiatives it is implementing. It says it expects improvements in its performance as its Recovery Plan gains momentum.
The company says it has prioritised the resolution of the challenges at the ports, with several short-term interventions in place at the Port of Durban to ease the congestion there.
