NEWARK, New Jersey, June 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Two of Africa's leading transportation executives will kick off the African debut of the 2012 Breakbulk Africa Congress on August 7 and 8 at the Southern Sun Cape Sun Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa. 

Brian Molefe, CEO at Transnet, South Africa's largest rail, port and pipeline conglomerate, will deliver the keynote address on Tuesday, August 7, 2012. Molefe will discuss Transnet's recently announced, four-point growth strategy, which includes plans to solve many of South Africa's infrastructure challenges by investing R110.6 billion (US$12.9 billion) in new rail equipment, the widening and deepening of ports, and building a new pipeline.

Commander Tsietsi Mokhlele, CEO at the South African Maritime Safety Authority, also known as SAMSA, will kick off the congress sessions on Wednesday, August 8, 2012. Cmmdr. Mokhele's keynote address will discuss the need to implement cabotage laws that would foster a South Africa-flagged fleet and rejuvenate its maritime industry.

Other topics up for discussion by industry leaders during the two days of panels and sessions include: capital projects in East Africa, border bottlenecks, port productivity in West Africa, piracy and compliance.

"2012 is the debut of Breakbulk Magazine and Events in Africa," said Alli McEntyre, Breakbulk vice president and publisher. "In May, we held the largest Breakbulk conference and exhibition to date, with close to 5,000 attendees in Antwerp, Belgium.  Although the format of the Breakbulk Africa Congress will be more targeted than our European exhibition, we hope to bring Breakbulk's editorial integrity in programming and strength of networking opportunity to Africa this year and in years to come."

Molefe is a South African businessman who has also worked in the office of the premier in the Limpopo, where he was responsible for strategic planning. Transnet's integrated freight transport company is comprised of five operating divisions: Transnet Freight Rail, Transnet Rail Engineering, Transnet National Ports Authority, Transnet Port Terminals and Transnet Pipelines. These divisions are supported by a number of company-wide specialist functions, such as Transnet Projects, that underpin the group as a whole.

Cmmdr. Mokhele, who has served at the helm of SAMSA since 2008 and is popularly called "The Commander" in the maritime industry, served in the South African Navy after obtaining his Ship Command qualifications in the then-Soviet Union. He led the Naval integration process as a co-chairperson within the South Africa Transitional Executive Council, the body charged within managing the country's transition to democracy in 1994.

Breakbulk Africa is among a portfolio of shows organized by UBM Global Trade's Breakbulk division, which include a trio of major conferences and exhibitions -- Breakbulk Europe, Breakbulk Americas and Breakbulk China -- each year. In addition, a number of two-day congresses have been added to the 2012 lineup: Breakbulk Africa, Aug. 7-8, in Cape Town, South Africa; Breakbulk Turkey, Nov. 20-21, in Istanbul, Turkey; and Breakbulk South America, Dec. 4-5, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

About Breakbulk -- The Breakbulk division of UBM Global Trade has been the most-trusted source of intelligence for the breakbulk and project cargo industry since its first conference in 1989. It includes the bi-monthly Breakbulk magazine, three annual conferences and exhibitions, three two-day congresses and access to business news articles, indices, archives and more on Breakbulk.com, as well as the weekly e-newsletter Breakbulk Newswire. Authoritative editorial content in the form of daily news and in-depth analysis ensure Breakbulk members have the data and information necessary to understand the issues facing the breakbulk, heavy-lift and project cargo shipping sectors. For membership information visit www.breakbulk.com/membership. For event information, please visit www.breakbulkevents.com.

About UBM Global Trade -- UBM Global Trade is the leading provider of proprietary data, news, business intelligence and analytical content supporting commercial maritime, rail, trucking, warehousing and logistics industries worldwide. The company's portfolio of more than 100 online, print and interactive workflow business solutions includes The Journal of Commerce, Breakbulk Magazine & Events, JOCSailings.com, RailResource, PIERS and an array of international trade and transportation databases and directories. UBM Global Trade, a subsidiary of UBM plc, is headquartered in Newark, NJ, with offices throughout the United States. For more information, explore www.ubmglobaltrade.com or call 800-952-3839 (+1-973-776-8660 outside the U.S. or Canada).

SOURCE Breakbulk