Hishaam Emeran, the CEO of PRASA, has been named the President of the Southern African Railways Association (SARA), an organization representing railways across the SADC region.
Nixon Dlamini, the CEO of Eswatini Railways, has been selected as the vice-president of SARA. Emeran’s election occurred during a board meeting held in Cape Town last week.
In a conversation with SABC News, Emeran expressed that SARA’s primary goal is to boost both passenger and freight volumes throughout the SADC region.
PRASA Chief Aims to Expand SARA’s Reach
Emeran pointed out that while PRASA currently serves 40 million passengers annually, this figure is significantly lower than the nearly 450 million passengers recorded a decade ago. He mentioned that the Association plans to reveal its strategy for regional rail sector growth later this year.
SARA was established in 1996 to address the growing competition from road transport. According to the Association’s website, SARA’s original mission was to provide the SADC railways with a powerful lobbying group to advocate for equitable competition between road and rail transport through policy and regulatory changes.
SARA’s Goals and Objectives
SARA’s mandate includes several key objectives:
- Creating a level playing field between different modes of surface transport to ensure fair competition.
- Developing sufficient capacity to meet demand.
- Enhancing operational efficiency and effectiveness of the region’s railways.
Background of PRASA’s Hishaam Emeran
Hishaam Emeran has been with PRASA for about 20 years and spent a decade in the private sector before joining the organization. Initially serving as PRASA’s Technical CEO, he was appointed Acting Group CEO on September 1, 2022. His extensive experience in the rail industry has positioned him well to lead both PRASA and now SARA.
Profile of SARA’s Vice-President Nixon Dlamini
Nixon Dlamini took on the role of Chief Executive Officer of Eswatini Railways in December 2019. His previous experience includes working as Chief Civil Engineer at Eswatini Railways from October 1997 to August 2001, after which he transitioned to the private sector.
Before returning to Eswatini Railways as CEO, Dlamini was a lead consultant with 2N Services (PTY) LTD, based in the UK. His broad expertise in railway engineering and management adds significant value to his leadership at SARA.