In this Railways Africa interview, we speak with Raymond Shoniwa, one month into his role as Executive Director of the Southern African Railways Association (SARA), during the 2025 AGM held in Eswatini.

Shoniwa shares his early reflections on moving from operations to a strategic role, drawing on his experience at Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway (BBR). He discusses the importance of regional integration, the implementation of SARA’s 2023–2027 strategy, and short-term goals such as improving information sharing and resource visibility across the region’s railways.

Key points include:

• Catching up on SARA’s 2023–2027 strategy
• Preparing for open access and changes in major operations
• The need for a shared portal to track available locomotives and wagons
• Short-, medium- and long-term approaches to increasing market share
• A move to two-year leadership terms to ensure implementation continuity

Watch the full interview for insight into where SARA is headed under its new executive leadership.