A court battle is playing out over the proposed, which is planned to run to an area north of the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve. Francois Nortjé, founder of NT55 Investments and developer of the planned Port of Gauteng, has gone to the Gauteng High Court to challenge environmental approvals granted for the proposed K148 road. The K148 is planned to run from the TotalEnergies filling station on the N3 southwards to an area north of theSuikerbosrand Nature Reserve.
Nortjé’s challenge centres on how environmental approvals were granted, and whether the process properly accounted for sensitive ecosystems along the route. Nortjé and NT55 have already obtained a court order stopping construction, while the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport prepares to appeal that decision, which will be heard on 17 February. NT55 says its legal action is not aimed at stopping development, but at ensuring that required environmental and water approvals are properly obtained before construction proceeds.
The legal challenge comes as plans advance for thePort of Gauteng, a proposed R50 billion inland port located at the junction of the Container Rail Corridor and the N3, N12 and N17 highways. The facility is designed to include two 2.2km flat rail alignments, a car terminal and a container rail terminal capable of handling large volumes at speed. The project aims to create about 50,000 permanent jobs and enable faster movement of goods between trains and trucks.
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The port plans to use performance-based standards vehicles – long truck-trailer combinations that can carry two containers – potentially reducing truck movements by up to 40%. With just four years remaining until the National Development Plan’s 2030 deadline, South Africa faces mounting pressure to cut truck traffic on the N3 by a third and reduce logistics costs without relying on large government subsidies for rail.
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