Madibana

What Madibana does

Madibana SA (Pty) Ltd is a South African freight forwarding and logistics company incorporated in 2008 (Companies Act 71 of 2008, registration number 2008/005139/07) and headquartered at Riverside Industrial Park, Kempton Park, Gauteng. The company operates an 11-service-line portfolio spanning air freight, ocean freight, rail freight, road freight, warehousing and distribution, courier services, air charter, vessel charter, clearing & forwarding, cross-border services, and domestic cargo transportation. It maintains a national footprint of nine provincial branch offices covering all of South Africa's provinces, and extends cross-border coverage across eleven SADC and African countries (Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia, Angola, Tanzania, Malawi, DRC), with global air and ocean reach across all continents except Antarctica. The company positions itself as 100% black-owned, a feature explicitly called out as part of its brand identity, and operates armed transborder security escorts for mining and high-value cross-border cargo.

The technology stack is oriented around operational digitization rather than advanced software. Core platforms include a Customized Logistics Management System supporting real-time vessel ETA tracking and voyage capture for charter clients, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) wired into air freight booking and warehousing/inventory operations (bar-coding, scanning, cycle counting), a web-based Shipment Tracking Portal (sa.madibana.com/tracking.php) accepting tracking, reference, order and quote numbers, and a Client Zone portal with separate Corporate and Cash Account login flows. Distribution is via a native Madibana SA mobile application published across Apple App Store, Google Play and Huawei AppGallery. The company has no public developer-facing API or SDK, and no AI/ML capabilities are documented anywhere in the source material.

Madibana generates revenue on a quote-based, per-shipment transaction-fee model across all freight modes, supplemented by a publicly listed variable fuel surcharge (currently 25.37%, effective 08/04/2026) indexed to US Gulf Coast jet fuel spot prices with a two-month lag, customs clearing and forwarding fees for sea/air/cross-border cargo, and managed-services billing for warehousing engagements. Corporate and government accounts onboard through a structured registration flow capturing cost centers, VAT numbers, CFO and Operations contacts, invoicing cycles (7/15/30 days), nature-of-account tags (Corporate, Eskom, RT-5, NHLS, Triton, etc.) and Incoterms preferences. Cash customers self-register via the Client Zone or mobile app. The go-to-market is a hybrid model: enterprise field sales for corporate and government accounts and self-serve for SMB and individual customers. No funding rounds, acquisitions, parent entities or institutional investors are disclosed; ownership appears founder/management-led through Managing Director Madiba Madibana.

Name

Madibana

Legal name

Madibana SA Proprietary Limited

Website

https://madibana.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Madibana SA is a South African multi-modal freight forwarder providing air, ocean, rail, road, warehousing, courier, charter and customs services through nine provincial branches, SADC-wide cross-border reach and global trade lanes for corporate, government and SMB customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding and Logistics Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412)

akta.pro primary industry

Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Trade Compliance & Ocean Regulatory Services (Sanctions/Export Controls) (TLACABAL)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding services
• Cargo logistics
• Customs clearing
• Warehousing distribution
• Cross-border transport

Headquarters

HQ city

Gauteng

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding & Cargo Logistics Services: Per-shipment transaction-based fees across air, ocean, rail, road freight, courier, warehousing, charter (air and vessel), cross-border, domestic transportation, and clearing & forwarding services. Pricing set per price list or as negotiated/quoted per consignment.
2. Fuel Surcharge: Variable monthly fuel surcharge applied to all shipments and related surcharges (non-standard pickup/delivery, remote area, restricted destination, over-weight/oversized/over-handled pieces). Currently 25.37% effective 08/04/2026, based on US Gulf Coast jet fuel index with two-month lag.
3. Warehousing & Distribution Services: Storage, inventory management, palletisation, value-added services (quality control, cycle counting, EDI order processing) billed as part of supply chain management engagements with corporate clients.
4. Customs Clearing & Forwarding Fees: Fees for customs liaison, import/export documentation, cargo clearance at border posts for sea freight, air freight, and cross-border shipments; interest charged at 24% per annum on overdue accounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Madibana SA (Pty) Ltd is a multi-modal freight forwarder and cargo logistics provider selling eleven service lines: Air Freight, Ocean Freight, Road Freight, Rail Freight, Warehousing and Distribution, Courier Services, Air Charter, Vessel Charter, Clearing & Forwarding, Cross Border Services, and Domestic Cargo Transportation. These services cover end-to-end international and domestic cargo movement, supported by customs clearance, a customized logistics management system providing real-time vessel ETAs, EDI-based order processing, and a Client Zone web portal with separate Corporate and Cash Customer login flows backed by native mobile apps.

Product overview

Madibana SA (Pty) Ltd operates a multi-service global cargo logistics platform rather than a single unified product. The offering is built around eleven freight and supply-chain service lines — Air Freight, Rail Freight, Road Freight, Ocean Freight, Warehousing and Distribution, Courier Services, Air Charter, Vessel Charter, Clearing & Forwarding, Cross Border Services, and Domestic Cargo Transportation — which together cover end-to-end international and domestic movement of cargo. These service lines are supported by a Shipment Tracking System, a web-based Madibana SA Client Zone (with separate Corporate and Cash Account portals), and a Madibana SA Mobile App distributed on iOS, Android, and Huawei AppGallery. The Customized Logistics Management System underpins the Vessel Charter and provides real-time vessel ETA visibility, while Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is used within the Air Freight workflow for data exchange and statistical reporting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Air Freight Air cargo services to all continents worldwide (excluding Antarctica) with export packaging and labelling, dangerous goods handling, freight insurance, airport-to-airport and door-to-door options, import/export customs clearance, and shipment tracking and tracing powered by an EDI system; serves shippers needing fast international air cargo movement.
• Ocean Freight Sea freight services across all major trade lanes including Full Container Loads (FCL), Less Than Container Loads (LCL), break-bulk, marine insurance, commodities, factory stuffing, customs clearance, consolidation, inland transportation, harbour-to-harbour, harbour-to-hub, and factory-to-harbour options; serves international shippers moving containerised and bulk cargo.
• Road Freight Long-haulage, abnormal loads, consolidations, cross-border, customs clearances, and import/export of mining commodities across South Africa and the SADC region (Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia, Angola, Tanzania, Malawi, DRC), with armed transborder security escort; serves mining and cross-border shippers.
• Rail Freight End-to-end rail freight services within South Africa and cross-border including full train and single wagon loads, door-to-door deliveries, warehousing, terminal management, and supply chain solutions; serves bulk commodity and industrial rail shippers.
• Warehousing and Distribution Warehousing with real-time inventory visibility including palletisation, pharmaceutical and retail warehousing, 24/7 security, cycle counting, electronic inventory management, bar-coding/scanning, sorting/racking/picking/packing, in-transit assembly, EDI order processing, and national/continental distribution; serves corporate clients with ongoing supply chain engagements.
• Courier Services Domestic and international courier services including Same Day Express, Overnight Express (by 11:00 next business day), Next Day, Economy (2-3 business days), International Document Express, International Parcel Express (dutiable), and International Special Consignments; serves individuals, SMBs and corporate clients shipping parcels or documents.
• Air Charter 24/7 air cargo chartering for oil & gas, music & film, heavy and oversized cargo, time-sensitive shipments, and humanitarian cargoes, with access to all types of cargo aircraft worldwide; serves clients needing urgent or specialised air cargo capacity.
• Vessel Charter Vessel chartering using a customized logistics management system that tracks voyages and provides real-time vessel ETA information, leveraging relationships with global ship owners to negotiate cost-effective vessel rates; serves clients needing specialised or oversized ocean transport.
• Clearing & Forwarding Customs clearance across sea freight, air freight, and cross-border shipments, with experienced customs liaison officers handling safe in-and-out cargo transference; the company states it has served international customers in clearing & forwarding for over 10 years.
• Cross Border Services Comprehensive cross-border cargo logistics including full truck loads, abnormal loads, consolidations, customs clearing and forwarding, and import/export of mining commodities into Southern Africa and SADC countries, escorted by armed transborder security personnel; serves mining and SADC-region shippers.
• Domestic Cargo Transportation 24/7 haulage, heavy haulage and specialist transport across South Africa including ADR dangerous goods, aviation secure deliveries, and Slinger Signaller crane operations, serving marine, oil, energy, hazardous waste, rail, construction, automotive, telecommunications, and aviation sectors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Variable fuel surcharge currently 25.37% (effective 08/04/2026), publicly disclosed and indexed to US Gulf Coast jet fuel spot prices.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bidvest Logistics: South African division of Bidvest Group offering freight forwarding, warehousing, customs clearing and distribution. Most directly comparable multi-service domestic and cross-border SA forwarder, with broader corporate backing and similar B-BBEE positioning.
• CFR Freight: South African freight forwarder offering air, sea, road freight, customs clearing and project cargo across SADC. Closely comparable service mix, geography and customer segment to Madibana, competing head-to-head for mid-market cross-border accounts.
• PGL (Panalpina/DSV) South Africa: Mid-sized-to-large SA-based freight forwarding operation (now part of DSV) with comparable air/ocean/cross-border product mix and South African provincial coverage; directly competes for mid-market and enterprise accounts.

Broad incumbents

• Kuehne+Nagel South Africa: Top-3 global freight forwarder with significant SA operations in air, ocean, road and contract logistics. Comparable product set but operates at global scale with integrated digital platform, KN FreightNet, and a broader enterprise customer base.
• Imperial Logistics (now DP World Logistics): Largest South African freight forwarder and contract logistics provider, now part of DP World. Comparable multi-modal air/ocean/road freight plus warehousing and end-to-end supply chain solutions across Africa, with substantially larger scale, fleet and enterprise customer base.
• DSV South Africa: Global freight forwarder with strong SA presence post-Panalpina and Agility GIL integrations. Offers air, sea, road and project logistics across Africa, competing with Madibana on enterprise accounts with deeper carrier buying power.
• DHL Global Forwarding South Africa: Global freight forwarding leader with full SA presence across air, ocean, road, customs and warehousing. Competes with Madibana on enterprise and government accounts, with vastly superior carrier contracts, technology and global network reach.
• Bolloré Transport & Logistics South Africa: Major African logistics operator with extensive SADC and West/Central Africa footprint. Comparable multi-modal capability, customs expertise and cross-border security presence, with much larger scale and continental network.

Emerging players

• Crossroads Freight: South African freight forwarder with strong SADC cross-border road freight and customs capabilities. Comparable mid-market positioning and SADC focus, competing with Madibana on mining and cross-border lanes.
• Globeflight Worldwide Express: South African-headquartered courier and freight network with regional African footprint. Comparable scale and focus on cross-border SADC distribution and last-mile, but lighter in specialist charter and warehousing depth than Madibana.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/madiba-madibana-pty-ltd

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Madibana