Let us spray: Kumba Iron Ore confronts biblical plague of locusts to boost rail performance

Locust swarms are generally associated with crop losses as they strip much of the green foliage in their menacing flight path. But the economic damage that can be inflicted by this biblical plague is not restricted to agriculture.

Surprisingly, such infestations also pre­sent a danger to trains and, as a result, they can have a material impact on industries and companies that rely on rail to move their products to market.

This is what Kumba Iron Ore, which operates among the ochre sands of the Northern Cape, has discovered.

“Ore railed to port by Transnet increased by 3% to 9.4 million tonnes (Q1 2022: 9.1 million tonnes), following the completion of outstanding maintenance on the rail line, and the spraying programme successfully reduced the locust infestation which had impacted rail performance in the comparative period,” Kumba said in its recent production report for Q1 2023.

The Anglo American unit explained to Daily Maverick what had transpired.

“During a locust outbreak, the rail line gets carpeted with locusts. When the locusts are crushed by the train wheels they release an oily substance which reduces the traction between the wheel and the rail and can lead to train derailment,” the company said in an emailed response to our queries.

Locusts are big by insect standards, but who would have thought the creatures could cause a train derailment?  

“A collaborative effort between SIOC (Kumba), Transnet Freight Rail, and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development was launched in 2022 to mitigate the impact of locust outbreaks in the Northern Cape. Representatives from each organisation meet weekly to minimise disruption along the rail corridor, and Transnet and the [department] have ground teams stationed on the line to monitor locust levels,” it said.

“When a locust outbreak is too large for the ground teams to control, Kumba assists with aerial spraying. The locust mitigation effort has been very successful in 2023, with no volume losses attributed to locusts on the iron ore rail line year to date.”

So, it has come down to cooperation with a state-owned enterprise and a government department, and the usual approach to dealing with pests in the agricultural sector: spraying. It’s an unusual cost for a mining company, but the environment can throw unexpected curveballs at the industry.

“The impact from previous locust ­outbreaks was in the comparative 2021 and 2022 periods. For the quarter under review, this has contributed to the improvement in rail performance, but the increase in ore railed to port was driven to a greater extent by the completion of outstanding maintenance on the rail line,” Kumba said.

That’s a rare piece of good news on the infrastructure front: rail maintenance being completed. Transnet’s woes have cost Kumba and other mining companies, notably those in the coal sector, huge losses in lost revenue. Exports through the Richards Bay Coal Terminal hit a 29-year low in 2022 of just over 50 million tonnes, largely because of Transnet’s shambolic performance.

Locust swarms are concerning, but they can be contained with measures such as pesticide spraying.

Addressing South Africa’s failing state is a far more daunting task. DM168

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R25.