Limpopo-born businesswoman Dr Dipuo Mosana has entered into an innovative partnership with Malaysian firm SMH Rail, and the two are set to redefine railway manufacturing, create jobs and modernise an essential component of South Africa’s infrastructure.
Mosana is the MD of Leruo Rail Africa, a black woman-owned and managed rail company that specialises in the manufacturing, maintenance and overhaul of railway rolling stock.
Mosana, together with her Malaysian counterpart Datuk Nara, MD of SMH Rail, met President Cyril Ramaphosa during the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and the East Asian Summit at the weekend.
For the Limpopo-born businesswoman, who once walked barefoot to school, the encounter with the president was both humbling and inspiring. Yet, beyond the personal milestone, Mosana said what excites her most is the transformative potential of her partnership with SMH Rail to create jobs and revive South Africa’s struggling rail sector.
According to the quarterly labour force survey, in the first quarter of 2025 there was a decrease of 291,000 in the number of employed persons to 16.8-million from 17.1-million in the fourth quarter of 2024, while there was an increase of 237,000 in the number of unemployed persons to 8.2-million. The official unemployment rate was 32.9% in the first quarter.
Her partnership with Nara began in the most unexpected way. In 2021, while still the CEO of TS5 Mining Group, Mosana was walking on crutches through John F Kennedy International Airport in the US when a stranger offered to carry her luggage. That stranger was Nara — a meeting that would later open doors to a new business venture in rolling stock and a shared vision to transform Africa’s rail industry.
It takes about two years to build a new train. With our technology, we can remanufacture a grounded locomotive into a new one within six months, a train that will last up to 20 years. We are very excited about the product we’ve developed.”
— Dipuo Mosana, MD of Leruo Rail Africa
Together, Leruo Rail Africa and SMH Rail are setting up a remanufacturing plant that will produce locomotives in record time, boosting local employment and supporting the government’s efforts to modernise and expand the rail network.
This development aligns with South Africa’s National Freight Logistics Roadmap, which emphasises the importance of a modern, reliable and locally-produced locomotive fleet to rejuvenate the country’s ageing rail infrastructure and shift more freight from roads to rail.
“It was very exciting to meet with the president, and he was eager to listen to our business plans,” Mosana said.
“At this stage, I cannot go into detail about our meeting, but I can share that we have developed new technology for remanufacturing locomotives.”
She said rail transport remains a key driver of economic growth and sustainability. In 2012, the Hotazel–Gqeberha manganese export line moved about 4.9-million tonnes per year and by 2023, that figure had nearly doubled to 9.7-million tonnes.
However, Mosana warned that cable theft, vandalism and poor infrastructure continue to threaten progress, costing the country billions of rands.
“It takes about two years to build a new train. With our technology, we can remanufacture a grounded locomotive into a new one within six months, a train that will last up to 20 years. We are very excited about the product we’ve developed,” she said.
Mosana said the partnership aims to stabilise Africa’s rail industry, enabling more countries to export goods efficiently through South Africa’s railway system, covering both freight and passenger networks.
She said Leruo Rail Africa designs its own locomotives, and several have already been tested successfully in other African countries, including Tanzania and Kenya.
In a joint statement issued by the governments of Malaysia and South Africa, they reaffirmed the importance of science, technology and innovation, particularly disruptive technologies, as key drivers of economic growth and transformation.
They encouraged further collaboration between the two nations in maritime, aviation and logistics, with a focus on private sector participation in rail transport and infrastructure development to boost trade and connectivity.
Mosana is currently in Malaysia, where she and her partner are launching a new plant. The next step, she said, is to bring the model home to South Africa, where land has already been identified for the country’s locomotive remanufacturing plant.
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