New Cape Central Railway Ltd will lease Eskom’s steam locomotives, located at Rosherville in Gauteng, for five years.
The travel and tourism company was announced on Monday, as a successful bidder, at a handover ceremony, at Eskom Rotek Industries.
This follows an open tender process that commenced back in May 2024.
The evaluation was done in consultation with the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) and the Heritage Railway Association of South Africa (HRASA), because the locomotives were retrieved from a museum.
Dan Marokane, Eskom Group Chief Executive said “at Eskom, we acknowledge our duty not only to deliver electricity but also to safeguard the valuable heritage assets entrusted to us. By opting for a lease arrangement, rather than a sale, Eskom retains custodianship of these assets, affirming its commitment to heritage preservation as a proudly South African company.”
He also said the handover of the locomotives coincides with the national call to “Reimagine Heritage Institutions for a New Era.”