The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport South Africa (CILTSA), will host its fourth 2026 Women in Logistics, Transport and Supply Chain Empowerment Conference (WECON 2026) on Friday, 18 September at the Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre in Boksburg. Under the theme “Resilience Reimagined: Leading Through Disruption”, the event is designed for professionals across transport, logistics, procurement, warehousing, distribution and supply chain, as well as entrepreneurs, students, educators, policy makers and corporate leaders advancing gender equity. 

“South Africa’s logistics system faces infrastructure constraints, port bottlenecks, skills shortages, digital transformation and shifting market expectations, placing resilience at the centre of organisational success,” explains CILTSA Brand Ambassador Shevon Kotiah CMILT. “WECON 2026 offers a focused space for women to build the insight, networks and confidence needed to lead through these conditions and shape more competitive industries.” 

Shevon Kotiah: CILTSA Brand Ambassador | Demand Manager – Sales: Heineken Beverages 

Female Underrepresentation Persists 

Women account for around 28 per cent of South Africa’s transport and logistics workforce, while just over four per cent of commercial truck drivers in road freight are women. Reports cited by the Vaal University of Technology indicate that women hold fewer than one in four senior leadership positions in the transport and logistics sectors.  

Statistics South Africa’s wider transport research shows that the share of black African women holding a driver’s licence rose from 9.6 per cent in 2013 to 13.4 per cent in 2020. These figures signal progress in participation alongside an urgent need to widen access to technical roles, business ownership, professional advancement and executive leadership.  

Practical Insight for a Changing Sector 

The day’s programme will explore the future of South African logistics and the trends women should prepare for. It will consider practical approaches to building disruption-ready transport businesses, including the realities facing start-ups. Delegates will also examine how women can strengthen supply chain competitiveness by responding to infrastructure challenges, operational pressures and systemic change. 

A dedicated growth session will focus on leadership, professionalisation and education. Topics include the relationship between internationally recognised professional designations and career mobility, ways to bridge skills gaps through accredited learning, and the value of continuous professional development.  

“Resilience is built when women have the skills, professional standing, connections and conviction to make decisions that move organisations and communities forward,” continues Kotiah. “This conference is a call to claim that space, lead with purpose and turn disruption into lasting progress.” 

Connections that Lead to Action 

Throughout the day, attendees can visit the Imbokodo Hub, a curated exhibition and networking space showcasing industry solutions, services and opportunities. Named for the Zulu symbol of a strong, resilient woman, the Hub will provide a practical setting for delegates to discover new resources, build relationships and explore partnerships. 

The Mentorship Matchmaking initiative will enable delegates to indicate whether they are looking for a mentor or willing to become one, helping to create meaningful professional relationships that continue beyond the event. The day will conclude with a fireside chat on mentorship in motion, supporting meaningful connections between experienced professionals and the next generation of sector leaders. 

CILTSA invites women and allies across logistics, transport and supply chain to take part in a day of learning, connection and action. By investing in women’s leadership, skills and enterprise, the sector can develop stronger talent pipelines and build the resilience South Africa needs for inclusive, sustainable growth. 

The event is sponsored by Isuzu and Ctrack. 

For more information please visit https://www.ciltsa.events/women-in-logistics-transport-and-supply-chain-empowerment-conference/ emailCILTSA at [email protected] or call 082 673 9697 / 087 133 0525. 

Most supply chains are built around one simple objective: getting products from one place to another as efficiently as possible. Cold chain logistics adds another layer of complexity. It’s not enough for goods to arrive on time—they also need to arrive at exactly the right temperature.

For businesses transporting fresh produce, pharmaceuticals, dairy products, frozen foods and other temperature-sensitive goods, even a small change in temperature can have serious consequences. Product quality may be affected, regulatory requirements may no longer be met and entire shipments can be rejected before they ever reach the customer.

That’s why cold chain logistics has become less about reacting to problems and more about preventing them in the first place.

Small Temperature Changes Can Have Big Consequences

Unlike many other types of freight, temperature-sensitive products often have very little room for error. A refrigeration unit that stops working, a trailer door left open for too long or an unexpected delay at a distribution centre can all affect the condition of the goods inside.

The financial impact goes well beyond replacing spoiled stock. Delayed deliveries, insurance claims, customer complaints and damage to long-standing business relationships can all follow when products fail to arrive in the expected condition.

In cold chain logistics, every degree matters because every degree can influence the value of the shipment.

Visibility Changes the Conversation

Not long ago, many businesses only discovered temperature issues once a delivery had reached its destination. By then, there was often little that could be done.

Today, connected sensors and real-time monitoring give logistics teams a live view of what’s happening while goods are still moving. If temperatures begin to drift outside acceptable limits, teams can investigate, contact the driver or adjust the journey before a small issue becomes a rejected load.

The greatest value isn’t collecting more information. It’s having enough visibility to act while the shipment is still recoverable.

The Journey Doesn’t End When the Truck Leaves

Cold chain management doesn’t stop once products are loaded onto a vehicle.

Traffic congestion, vehicle breakdowns, border delays, loading times and unexpected route changes can all affect delivery schedules. The longer products remain in transit, the greater the pressure on refrigeration systems and temperature controls to perform consistently.

That’s why transport planning has become just as important as temperature monitoring. Choosing the right route, planning realistic delivery schedules and reducing unnecessary delays all help protect the integrity of temperature-sensitive goods.

It’s About More Than Saving the Shipment

When a cold chain shipment fails, replacing the product is often only the beginning. Businesses also have to manage disappointed customers, investigate what went wrong and, in some industries, demonstrate that strict temperature standards were maintained throughout the journey.

For suppliers serving supermarkets, hospitals, pharmacies or food manufacturers, consistency is everything. Customers expect products to arrive in the same condition every time, regardless of the distance travelled or the challenges along the route. Maintaining that consistency helps build trust, and in many cases, it’s that trust that keeps long-term business relationships intact.

Every Shipment Leaves Behind Valuable Information

Temperature readings are no longer collected simply to prove that products stayed within the required range. They also provide a clearer picture of how the supply chain is performing from one delivery to the next.

Over time, that information can reveal recurring delays on certain routes, identify locations where temperature fluctuations occur more frequently or highlight opportunities to improve transport planning. Those small insights help businesses reduce risk before it affects the next shipment.

No two cold chain deliveries are exactly the same, but each one leaves behind information that can help make the next journey more reliable. In an industry where even a small change in temperature can have significant consequences, those lessons quickly become one of the most valuable parts of the supply chain.

A truck running a few hours behind schedule doesn’t usually make headlines.

On its own, it might seem like a minor delay. But modern supply chains are built around timing, and when one delivery falls behind, the effects can quickly spread far beyond the vehicle itself.

A supplier may need to adjust production, a warehouse could reshuffle its receiving schedule, transport planners might reroute deliveries and customers may find themselves waiting longer than expected. What begins as a single delay often becomes a series of small decisions across the supply chain, each one helping the business get back on track.

Every Delivery Fits Into a Bigger Plan

By the time a delivery vehicle leaves a supplier, a lot has already happened.

Production has been completed, warehouse space has been allocated, transport has been booked and customers have been given expected delivery dates. None of those decisions happen in isolation. They’re connected, and each one depends on the previous step going according to plan.

When a delivery arrives late, that carefully planned sequence starts to shift. Warehouse teams may need to rearrange unloading schedules, transport providers adjust routes and operations managers rethink the rest of the day’s workload.

The delay doesn’t stop when the truck arrives. It simply moves somewhere else.

Timing Matters on the Production Line

Manufacturing is one of the clearest examples of why reliable deliveries matter.

Companies such as Volkswagen Group South Africa and Toyota South Africa Motors depend on thousands of parts arriving throughout the day to support production. While manufacturers build flexibility into their operations wherever possible, production still relies on components being available when they’re needed.

If a shipment arrives later than expected, teams don’t simply stop working. They look for ways to keep production moving, whether that’s changing the order of work, using available stock or adjusting schedules until the missing components arrive.

Behind every delay is a team working to prevent it from becoming a much bigger problem.

Warehouses Keep Everything Moving

Warehouses often become the place where those adjustments happen.

A late delivery can mean several trucks arriving together instead of throughout the day. Receiving teams may need to reorganise unloading bays, move labour between tasks or change the order in which shipments are processed to keep goods moving.

The faster those decisions are made, the less likely the disruption is to affect the next stage of the supply chain.

That’s one of the reasons businesses have invested so heavily in real-time visibility. Knowing about a delay before a truck reaches the warehouse gives operations teams valuable time to adapt rather than react.

Customers Only See the Last Part of the Journey

Most customers never see the planning that happens behind the scenes.

They don’t see the warehouse changing its schedule or the transport planner finding another solution. What they experience is the final outcome: whether the product arrives when they expected it to.

That’s why communication has become such an important part of modern logistics. If businesses can keep customers informed while solving problems in the background, they’re far more likely to maintain trust, even when things don’t go exactly as planned.

A reliable supply chain isn’t one where every delivery is perfect. It’s one where people, processes and technology work together to keep disruption from spreading any further than it has to.