Durban — Delivering fruit and vegetables to the market as a youngster sowed the seeds that grew into Durban-born Raj Balmakhun’s multi-billion-rand business.
This month Balmakhun opened his newly built multibillion-rand Newlyn PX Bayhead Rail Terminal outside the Port of Durban, sharing the podium with President Cyril Ramaphosa – who delivered a keynote speech – at a ceremony attended by Trade and Industry Minister Ibrahim Patel, KZN Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube, eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda and other VIPs.
Balmakhun grew up in Clare Estate and worked for his family business, transporting fresh produce from farms to the local Bulk Produce Market using ventilated closed rail wagons.
He said his passion for the storage facility business began there.
Soon after the birth of democracy, the now 66-year-old grabbed the logistic business opportunity which he had always longed for but as a black person was prevented because of apartheid.
He started the Newlyn Group in 1996 by buying a building on Sydney Road near the harbour, which he converted into a 14 000m² warehouse and he grew from there.
The group, of which he is the chief executive, has state-of-the-art warehouses in many parts of Durban, with footprints in other areas of KZN, Gauteng and Western Cape. Plans to expand to the Eastern and Northern Cape are in place.
“Since I founded Newlyn some 28 years ago, our company’s DNA has always been one of developing innovative, best-of-breed, sustainable and cost-effective critical logistics infrastructure to meet the needs of our economy for decades to come,” said Balmakhun, adding that the Bayhead project reflected his mission for the city and to alleviate traffic congestion by moving cargo from the N3 highway to rail.
The project comprises 640 000m², including 350 486m² under cover and 267 865m² of yard, “rail siding and other infrastructure, making it one of the largest multi-modal rail terminals in the Southern Hemisphere”.
At the opening ceremony, he said the facility’s rooftop was covered with solar panels that would generate 30MW of energy, enough to feed a large part of the city and the needs of its tenants.
“The solar capability of the roofspace here can make the Port of Durban the first green-powered port in Africa,” he said.
He told Independent on Saturday he was waiting for the city to request him to add to its electricity grid.
“I am deeply passionate about what I do and I persevere in pursuing my objective and had the credibility of a bank which supported me by making financial services available. I was able to deliver all my products on time which facilitated my growth,” he said.
Balmakhun described the Bayhead terminal as a major milestone for the country to showcase “what can be achieved when the private sector and government work together for the future of our country and her people”.
“Upgrading local port infrastructure is critical to the success of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, and this new terminal will facilitate the swift movement of goods from South Africa to the continent and beyond”, helping “unclog bottlenecks along the critical trade corridor between Johannesburg and the port of Durban”.
Another major project in the pipeline is a R4-billion investment in technology to transport manganese at Coega outside Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape. Others are in Saldhana Bay and Boegoebaai Port in the Northern Cape.
He is also exploring gas-to-power options to make South Africa’s energy generation mix more stable.
Balmakhun said his family keep him going, and when he is not at work he enjoys waking up very early to walk before going to gym.
Independent on Saturday