Earlier today, Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Alan Winde, met with the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe Steering Committee. Present were the Mayors from Eden, George, Knysna and Mossel Bay, representatives from local tourism associations, provincial government and Transnet.
Minister Winde was informed that the maintenance presently being undertaken by Transnet on the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe is nearing completion. It is anticipated that the operations of the OCT from George to Mossel Bay will re-commence by the middle of October. We will use this occasion as an opportunity to re-launch the Choo-Tjoe, in coordination which the Municipalities and Tourism Associations in the region.
Transnet has assured Minister Winde that it will continue to operate the current service until it can be handed over to an appointed operator through an open and competitive tender process, preceded by an information and awareness session
that will be jointly facilitated by the Provincial Government of the Western Cape and Transnet. The purpose of the information and awareness session will be to provide a briefing to all stakeholders, affected parties and the private sector on the call for Expressions of Interest.
It is envisaged that the process will be separated into two phases: phase one will deal with the George to Mossel Bay line, and phase two the George to Knysna line. Although the processes culminating in the handover will be operated by Transnet, agreement has been reached that the Provincial Government will be meaningfully engaged on all matters leading up to the handover.
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