South Africa's Transnet Freight Rail said on Monday that 26 wagons of coal for exporting derailed on Saturday morning, damaging the country's coal line, which links mines to the Richard's Bay Coal Terminal.

Mr Sandile Simelane a spokesman for rail operator Transnet Freight Rail told Reuters that "Twenty six wagons carrying export coal were derailed out of a 100 wagon train.” But he could not immediately give the exact tonnage of the derailed coal.

He said that the derailment happened at Halfgewonen in the Mpumalanga province, damaging two parallel lines that make up the coal line. He added that one of the tracks has since been repaired, but the second is undergoing repairs and was estimated to restart by Tuesday morning.