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MODULE NAME: MODULE CODE:

TRANSPORT ECONOMICS TRAE5122/d/p

ASSESSMENT TYPE: ASSIGNMENT 1 (PAPER ONLY)

TOTAL MARK ALLOCATION: 100 MARKS

TOTAL HOURS: 10 HOURS

By submitting this assignment, you acknowledge that you have read and understood all the rules as
per the terms in the registration contract, in particular the assignment and assessment rules in The
IIE Assessment Strategy and Policy (IIE009), the intellectual integrity and plagiarism rules in the
Intellectual Integrity and Property Rights Policy (IIE023), as well as any rules and regulations
published in the student portal.

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. No material may be copied from original sources, even if referenced correctly, unless it is a
direct quote indicated with quotation marks. No more than 10% of the assignment may
consist of direct quotes.
2. Your assignment must be submitted through SafeAssign.
3. Save a copy of your assignment before submitting it.
4. Assignments must be typed unless otherwise specified.
5. All work must be adequately and correctly referenced.
6. This is an individual assignment.
7. The assignment consists of three questions. Each question must be answered.
8. Please start each question on a new page.
9. Additional research over and above your prescribed textbook is required for ALL questions.
10. The reference rubric below will be used to assess your referencing. Please ensure you consult
the IIE Harvard Referencing guide for the correct referencing technique.
11. Please ensure you paraphrase where necessary.
12. For Question 3, you are expected to write an essay. A word limit of 900 words applies. Markers
will disregard any text beyond this limit. Please indicate the word count at the end of your
answer.

© The Independent Institute of Education (Pty) Ltd 2024

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ACADEMIC HONESTY DECLARATION

Please complete the Academic Honesty Declaration below.

Please note that your assessment will not be marked, and you will receive 0% if you have not
completed ALL aspects of this declaration.

Declaration

SIGN
I have read the assessment rules provided in this declaration.
This assessment is my own work.
I have not copied any other student’s work in this assessment.
I have not uploaded the assessment question to any website or App offering
assessment assistance.
I have not downloaded my assessment response from a website.
I have not used any AI tool without reviewing, re-writing, and re-working this
information, and referencing any AI tools in my work.
I have not shared this assessment with any other student.
I have not presented the work of published sources as my own work.
I have correctly cited all my sources of information.
My referencing is technically correct, consistent, and congruent.
I have acted in an academically honest way in this assessment.

© The Independent Institute of Education (Pty) Ltd 2024

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Referencing Rubric

Providing evidence based on valid and referenced academic Markers are required to provide feedback to students by
sources is a fundamental educational principle and the indicating (circling/underlining) the information that best
cornerstone of high-quality academic work. Hence, The IIE describes the student’s work.
considers it essential to develop the referencing skills of our
students in our commitment to achieve high academic standards. Minor technical referencing errors: 5% deduction from the
Part of achieving these high standards is referencing in a way that overall percentage – the student’s work contains five or more
is consistent, technically correct and congruent. This is not errors listed in the minor errors column in the table below.
plagiarism, which is handled differently.
Major technical referencing errors: 10% deduction from the
Poor quality formatting in your referencing will result in a penalty overall percentage – the student’s work contains five or more
of a maximum of ten percent being deducted from the percentage errors listed in the major errors column in the table below.
awarded, according to the following guidelines. Please note,
however, that evidence of plagiarism in the form of copied or If both minor and major errors are indicated, then 10% only (and
uncited work (not referenced), absent reference lists, or not 5% or 15%) is deducted from the overall percentage. The
exceptionally poor referencing, may result in action being taken in examples provided below are not exhaustive but are provided to
accordance with The IIE’s Intellectual Integrity Policy (0023). illustrate the error

Required: Minor errors in technical correctness of Major errors in technical correctness of referencing
Technically correct referencing referencing style style
style Deduct 5% from percentage awarded Deduct 10% from percentage awarded
Consistency Minor inconsistencies. Major inconsistencies.
• The referencing style is generally • Poor and inconsistent referencing style used
• The same referencing format consistent, but there are one or two in-text and/or in the bibliography/ reference list.
has been used for all in-text changes in the format of in-text • Multiple formats for the same type of referencing
references and in the referencing and/or in the bibliography. have been used.
bibliography/reference list. • For example, page numbers for direct • For example, the format for direct quotes (in-text)
quotes (in-text) have been provided for and/or book chapters (bibliography/ reference
one source, but not in another instance. list) is different across multiple instances.
Two book chapters (bibliography) have
been referenced in the bibliography in
two different formats.
Technical correctness Generally, technically correct with some Technically incorrect.
minor errors. • The referencing format is incorrect.
• Referencing format is • The correct referencing format has been • Concepts and ideas are typically referenced, but a
technically correct throughout consistently used, but there are one or reference is missing from small sections of the
the submission. two errors. work.
• Concepts and ideas are typically • Position of the references: references are only
• The correct referencing format referenced, but a reference is missing given at the beginning or end of large sections of
for the module’s discipline has from one small section of the work. work.
been used, i.e., either APA, OR • Position of the references: references • For example, incorrect author information is
Harvard OR Law. are only given at the beginning or end of provided, no year of publication is provided,
every paragraph. quotation marks and/or page numbers for direct
• Position of the reference: a • For example, the student has incorrectly quotes missing, page numbers are provided for
reference is directly associated presented direct quotes (in-text) and/or paraphrased material, the incorrect punctuation is
with every concept or idea. book chapters (bibliography/reference used (in-text); the bibliography/reference list is
list). not in alphabetical order, the incorrect format for
• For example, quotation marks, a book chapter/journal article is used, information
page numbers, years, etc. are is missing e.g. no place of publication had been
applied correctly, sources in provided (bibliography); repeated sources on the
the bibliography/reference list reference list.
are correctly presented.
Congruence between in-text Generally, congruence between the A lack of congruence between the in-text
referencing and bibliography/ in-text referencing and the bibliography/ referencing and the bibliography.
reference list reference list with one or two errors. • No relationship/several incongruencies between
• There is largely a match between the the in-text referencing and the
• All sources are accurately sources presented in-text and the bibliography/reference list.
reflected and are all accurately bibliography. • For example, sources are included in-text, but not
included in the bibliography/ • For example, a source appears in the in the bibliography and vice versa, a link, rather
reference list. text, but not in the bibliography/ than the actual reference is provided in the
reference list or vice versa. bibliography.
In summary: the recording of In summary, at least 80% of the sources In summary, at least 60% of the sources are
references is accurate and are correctly reflected and included in a incorrectly reflected and/or not included in
complete. reference list. reference list.
Overall Feedback about the consistency, technical correctness and congruence between in-text referencing and bibliography:
..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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The purpose of this project is to showcase your understanding of prescribed content of this
course. It is therefore important that you follow the following guidelines:

• Research: You are required to have read and understood the prescribed work covered in
learning units 1 to 6 in the prescribed textbook. Additional research is required.
• Referencing: the reference rubric will be used; the Harvard style must be used; the
submission must be submitted through SafeAssign.

Read the following case and answer the questions that follow in your own words.

This assignment requires you to analyse and apply the theory from the first three learning units
of the module. When formulating your answers, you will need to conduct research beyond the
textbook, using credible, referenced sources. Marks will only be awarded for answers that are in
your own words and that relate to the context provided. As such, marks will be allocated for
both content and application to a given context.

The submission must be submitted through SafeAssign. Follow the instructions for each
question.

South Africa Aims to Fire Up Economic Growth With Port, Rail Revival

South Africa’s government and the business community set a target of boosting the economic
growth rate by as much as six percentage points by fixing the country’s collapsing ports and
freight-rail network.

They predict that cracking down on crime and corruption may save as much as R300 billion
($16 billion) a year, noted by Bloomberg and confirmed by business representatives. South
Africa’s National Treasury has forecast that the gross domestic product will grow 1% next year.
South Africa’s biggest companies and the government have set up joint panels as part of a drive
by its biggest companies to work with the state to resolve a host of issues holding back the
economy. These range from power cuts and the poor performance of the rail network, to
increasing crime and an inefficient work-visa application process.

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Coal shipments on South Africa’s freight-rail network have plunged to 30-year lows and iron-ore
railings are at their lowest in a decade, prompting companies including Glencore Plc, to consider
cutting jobs. Port snarl ups are resulting in delays to the loading and offloading of ships and some
fashion retailers have resorted to flying in apparel.

The problems are seeing “mining companies reconfiguring in line with current reality and delaying
capital investment, putting jobs at risk,” the National Logistics Crisis Committee said in the
presentation. These include overall freight moved by rail increasing to 193 million tons in the year
through March 2025 from 149 million tons in the year to March 31, 2023. Similarly ambitious
targets have been set for the processing of containers at ports and the shipping of cars and bulk
minerals.

The roadmap is a government document outlining plans to boost private involvement in the
country’s largely state-run ports and rail network. B4SA, the business organisation helping
coordinate the work with the government, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

So far there is little sign of improvement. Kumba Iron Ore Ltd, the country’s biggest producer of
steel raw material, is running out of space to store ore it has mined and can’t move to the port.
Exxaro Resources Ltd, a coal exporter, said last month Transnet’s railings to the main export
terminal are on course to fall for a sixth consecutive year.

Source: Adapted from Daily Maverick (2023). South Africa Aims to Fire Up Economic Growth With
Port, Rail Revival [Online] Available at https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-12-13-south-
africa-aims-to-fire-up-economic-growth-with-port-rail-revival/ [Accessed 20 March 2024]

Question 1 (Marks: 50)

Q.1.1 In light of the above article, explain the importance of a good transport system to (10)
the economy and discuss the significance of government and business community
coming together to solve issues in the port and rail sector.

Q.1.2 In relation to the above article, discuss the issues faced when demand for rail and (15)
ocean transport does not meet supply of transport.

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Q.1.3 The article mentions that mining companies are negatively affected by inefficient (15)
rail transport. Discuss the significance of rail transport to SA’s economy.

Q.1.4 Discuss the role of transport in facilitating global trade. (10)

Question 2 (Marks: 30)

Joburg implements total shutdown of all pipelines in CBD to inspect infrastructure after
explosion

The City of Johannesburg has announced that all underground pipelines will be shut down to
allow full inspection of existing infrastructure. The existing underground pipeline on Bree Street
(Lillian Ngoyi Street) includes infrastructure for Egoli Gas, Telkom, City Power, Joburg Water - who
have sewer and water pipelines, and Sasol.

All companies and public entities reported to the operations command centre that their
infrastructure is intact, but they have now all been told to restrict supply to ensure the necessary
inspections take place. Joburg city manager Floyd Brink said natural gas reticulator, Egoli Gas, had
been ordered to shut down its underground gas pipelines in the inner city within the next two
hours.

Brink said Joburg Water and City Power had also been ordered to shut down their infrastructure
in the inner city.

Brink said they were taking the step to shut down all underground infrastructure to allow
technicians an opportunity to assess along the 400 metre pipeline which has been affected.

He also said the city officials had been using “world class” advanced technology to identify
underground defects underneath the surface of the roads that are still intact and unaffected at
this stage. Joburg EMS will have a fire engine on standby to be able to respond swiftly to any
eventualities, should a need arise.

Source: Adapted from: Mlambo, S. (2023) Joburg implements total shutdown of all pipelines in
CBD to inspect infrastructure after explosion [Online] Available at .
https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/gauteng/joburg-implements-total-shutdown-of-all-

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pipelines-in-cbd-to-inspect-infrastructure-after-explosion-abb80a67-67dd-47c8-b10e-
a932614a58bb#:~:text=Gauteng-
,Joburg%20implements%20total%20shutdown%20of%20all%20pipelines,to%20inspect%20infrast
ructure%20after%20explosion&text=The%20City%20of%20Johannesburg%20has,full%20inspectio
n%20of%20existing%20infrastructure.

Q.2.1 Conduct additional research and provide an overview of pipeline (15)

transport in South Africa and discuss the products typically transported
by pipelines in South Africa.

Q.2.2 Elaborate upon the factors which make pipelines unique forms of (15)
transport compared to other forms of transport, and discuss the
implications of shutting down the pipeline as discussed in the article.

Question 3 (Marks: 20)

Port and rail services and infrastructure in South Africa have fallen into ruin and disrepair over the
past decade as detailed in the article above.

Conduct further research into rail transport and infrastructure in South Africa and compile an
essay in which you identify key risks faced in rail transport and suggest some measures to
mitigate these risks. Paraphrasing and references to be included.
(Hint: your answer should summarise all key concepts from the relevant chapter with practical
application to the scenario provided).

Note:
• You will receive more marks for your own original, detailed examples than for examples in
your textbook, from your lecturer, or on Learn.
• Marks will be allocated according to the rubric below.

A word limit of 900 words applies. Markers will disregard any text beyond this limit. Please
indicate the word count at the end of your answer. NB – Your lecturer will not mark beyond the
maximum word count for the question. For example, if you exceed the 900-word limit by
submitting a 1 000-word essay, you can lose all marks allocated to any sections/arguments that
fall into the 100 words not marked.

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Essay Rubric – Question 3
Marking Does not meet the required
Criteria standard
Introduction,
No introduction or
conclusion, conclusion to the essay, or
structure, what is provided is
academic incoherent or incohesive
rigour, and adds little to no value to
spelling and the essay;
grammar Four or more spelling,
grammar or punctuation
[5 Marks] errors throughout the essay;
No headings and/or
paragraphs;
Essay shows a lack of
preparation, flow and
proofreading.
0 – 2 Marks
Content
Student displays limited to
Key risks no understanding of the key
faced in rail risks facing rail transport
transport as and makes limited attempt
well as to suggest measures to
measures to mitigate identified risks;
mitigate Most of the key risks have
these risks been omitted; OR some of
risks have been identified
[15 Marks] but are poorly explained.
Most of the measures to
mitigate risks have been
omitted; OR risk mitigation
strategies have been
included but are poorly
explained;
No examples provided or
examples are not relevant or
are incorrect;
Answer lacks application.
0 – 7 Marks
© The Independent Institute of Education (Pty) Ltd 2024
Meets the required
standard
Relevant introduction and
conclusion provided that
adds value to the essay;
Essay is well structured with
headings and paragraphs;
Minor spelling, grammar or
punctuation errors, no more
than three throughout the
essay;
Evidence of proofreading,
editing and flow.
3 Marks
A basic theoretical
explanation of key risks in
rail transport have been
included;
All key risks have been
adequately explained;
All strategies to mitigate
identified risks have been
adequately explained;
Relevant examples used but
needs work;
An attempt at application of
theory is made but can be
improved.
8 – 11 Marks
2024
Exceeds the required
standard
Engaging introduction and
conclusion that successfully
sums up the essay;
Essay is well structured with
suitable headings and
paragraphs that flow well;
No spelling, grammar and
punctuation errors;
Academic writing and
register are consistently
applied.
4 – 5 Marks
A comprehensive
explanation of the most
pertinent risks facing rail
transport , including suitable
strategies to mitigate these
risks have been provided;
Detailed, insightful
application of examples;
Critical discussion and
application are evident.
12 – 15 Marks
[TOTAL MARKS: 100]
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