THL sets it sights on DRC and Angola expansion

With the Botswana-based Transport
Holdings Limited (THL) now celebrating
almost three decades in cross-border
transport with SA, the company is looking to
expand its business activities further afield,
according to business development manager,
Johan Eloff.
“Our present focus,” he told FTW, “is on
developing transport business to DRC and
Angola, with a move further north in the subcontinent
at a later date.”
“Also we are presently involved in
the transportation of fuel and dry goods,
consolidations, warehousing and distribution,
but have the intention of expanding into other
operations to create a large scale logistics
solutions business.”
A promising event in cross-border transport,
Eloff told FTW, has been the introduction of
electronic data interchange (EDI) between
shippers, transporters and customs – and the end
of the need to complete the manual F178 form.
“This has improved things a great deal and
makes life with customs much easier,” he
said. “It makes things so simple that it’s only a
pleasure getting cargo cross-border now.”
Since 2006, THL has been a member of the
Imperial Logistics Group – which Eloff claims
to be the largest provider of logistic services in
Southern Africa and the largest road transporter
in sub-Saharan Africa.
The THL group, with MD Anthony Lee, is
split into three operating units.
Transport Holdings (the company itself)
provides bulk dry goods transport and
consolidation to the mining and industrial
sectors and is the holding company for the
group in Botswana. Current clients include
Debswana Diamond Company, BCL, Tati
and Morupule Colliery.
THL owns 51% of Petrologistics (formerly
known as Truck Africa Botswana), which was
renamed following the 100% acquisition of
Fuelogic Botswana. Current clients include Shell
and Engen.
THL owns 100% of Express Cartage –
providing express cross border transportation and
consolidation of dry goods to the retail, service
and industrial sectors – with key customers
being Bolux Milling, De Beers, general retail
and wholesale customers and Botswana Meat
Company.
Transport Holdings has its main operation
in the former Truck Africa’s SA premises in
Wadeville, Johannesburg. It also has an operation
in BCL mine in Selebi Phikwe – a mining town
located in the Central District of Botswana.
Express Cartage operates from three facilities
– Wadeville and Gaborone and Francistown in
Botswana.
Petrologistics has two operations - Francistown
and Tlokweng.