in**@me*********.za | +27 86 100 6342 (MEGA)
WHO WE ARE
Established in 1981, Megafreight has been at the forefront of the freight forwarding and customs-clearing industry in South Africa for more than 40 years. With over 280 employees nationally, we are big enough to deliver and small enough to care.
Although our business operates globally, we remain intrinsically South African. We are also privately owned, with our executives actively involved in the day-to-day running of the business. Our branches are located in several South African business hubs, including Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) and Paarl.
Our combined local and global expertise, innovative solutions and strategic partnerships, coupled with our distinctive personalised service, delivers the world to your doorstep.
MEET THE MANAGEMENT TEAM
We asked the team to tell us about their favourite place in Africa.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Gordon Pascoe
FOUNDER
& CHAIRMAN
“My favourite place is visiting any Megafreight office or facility if I am not in the bush”.
Willem Voogt
Managing
Director
“The Kruger National Park has to be my favourite place. The diversity captured within its fences is just something else!”
Mike Els
Director
“My favourite African destination is anywhere in the bushveld where serenity reigns and am surrounded by the majestic beauty of our land.”
MANAGEMENT
Simon Ramochela
Head of Compliance
and Development
“My favourite place in Africa is the beautiful Maseru, the capital city of Lesotho, with lots of traditional history that it shares with our country South Africa.”
Leoni Thompson
Group Financial
Manager
If I HAD to choose, it would be Cape Town and its surroundings, with all its natural beauty, plentiful wine farms and long stretches of beaches.
Alex de Abreu
Manager:
Contract Logistics
“My favourite place in Africa is God’s Window, in Mpumalanga. It’s simply majestic.”
Sonja Bingham
Global Network
AND Product Manager
“I love the quiet beaches and calm seas found around George, which is perfectly suited for a relaxing holiday with young children.”
Andrew Myburgh
NATIONAL CUSTOMS
MANAGER
an************@me*********.za
“I would have to say the Western Cape is my favourite place to visit, as it symbolizes to me everything that is positive and beautiful, some of my fondest memories were made there.”
Grant Moosa
GENERAL MANAGER:
CAPE TOWN
“My favourite part of Africa is the Garden Route, nestled on the Western Cape coastline, because it provides around a 300km scenic route with endless activities for my family.”
Andrew Bell
BRANCH MANAGER:
JOHANNESBURG
“We have so many beautiful places. If I had to choose, it would be the Kruger National Park. I love the bush and the serenity that comes with it.”
Tanya Floweday
BRANCH MANAGER:
DURBAN
“My favourite place in Africa is the wide-open space of the bushveld.”
Ryan Glegg
Branch Manager:
Gqeberha (PE)
“My favourite place in Africa is the farm where my wife grew up, close to Somerset East. It’s a perfect getaway spot when we need a break from the stresses of the city.”
Louisa Theart
National Sales
Manager
“Definitely the bush. For me it’s a true reflection of what Africa represents and the only place that instils a sense of true calmness and peace in one’s mind and soul.”
GLOBAL PRESENCE
Our established global network with partner offices strategically located around the world, combined with our understanding of South Africa’s unique market requirements, allows us to offer you global freight forwarding services to or from nearly every city in the world. This powerful alliance with select global partners allows us to build on our successful history, while focusing firmly on the future. Our integrated solution and personalised service ensures that your product reaches its final destination, while you focus on your business.
OUR HISTORY
It all started over here...
1982
Gordon’s Airfreight enters into an agreement with German-based forwarder Richard Boas and Hong Kong-based forwarder Baltrans in its first steps to offer international forwarding services to its customers.
1984
Gordon’s Airfreight (Pty) Ltd is merged with Megafreight Services (Pty) Ltd and the company relocates to larger premises. The company acquires Transpacific Shipping (Pty) Ltd, while German-based forwarder M&M Militzer & Munch is appointed as the first large international forwarder along with Marine Land Air Transport in Taiwan.
1986
Oceanair is sold to Safcor-Panalpina and in May 1986 Gordon Pascoe and Mike Els acquire 100% of Megafreight Services (Pty) Ltd. Trading recommences on the 1st of June 1986, in premises shared with friendly competitor Freightech, in the back of their small warehouse with a staff complement of five. International partnerships are renewed.
1991
Durban branch opens and the Megatrac software development is outsourced to a specialist software house and re-written in INFORMIX. IBM Risc computer is installed to link the new Durban branch while Compu-Clearing system is utilised for customs entry processing. Gordon Pascoe & Mike Els re-acquire the Rohek minority interest. Total staff complement is now just under 80 people.
1994
Cape Town branch opens, headed by Wayne Lazo and Leon Delport, with Jane Reinhardt playing an active management role. Marianne Schlosser joins the company at its Johannesburg branch, which relocates to larger premises in Isando. Total staff complement reaches 120.
1996
Pietermaritzburg branch opens, and Durban branch relocates to larger company-owned premises in Bay Terrace.
2000
Freight Clearing & Consulting merged into Megafreight Services (Pty) Limited and Megafreight relocates to new premises in Pomona, Kempton Park.
2003
JH Bachmann offices in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town merge with Megafreight offices. The Johannesburg branch acquires new premises in Jet Park. Staff complement settles around 230. Bloemfontein and Pietermaritzburg offices close.
2008
Staff complement exceeds 240 and Durban branch relocates to larger offices. DSV (formerly DFDS) opens its own offices in South Africa and IJS Global is appointed as a new partner.
2017
March – Exclusive agreement signed with C.H Robinson. October – Warehousing logistics division formed. Warehouse established in Paarl (March).
2019
Acquired Ibhayi Freight Services (Pty) Ltd.
2021
March – Megafreight acquires 60% stake in RB Associated Logistics.
RB Associated Logistics
1981
Megafreight's history traces back all the way to Gordon’s Airfreight (Pty) Ltd, which was founded by Gordon Pascoe in October 1980. It opened its doors for business on the 2nd of February 1981 in Kempton Park, close to Johannesburg International Airport, as a Customs Clearing Agent with a staff complement of four people. Shareholders at the time were Pascoe (25%), S. Bacher & Co (Pty) Ltd (better known as Lanco Watches - 50%) and Friedland Stores (better known as Dion Stores - 25%).
1983
In line with expansion by Dion Stores, Megafreight Services (Pty) Ltd is registered on the 9th of December 1983 to handle Ocean Freight, with Dions taking up 75% of the shares in the company. Mike Els joins the company on the 15th of December 1983 as head of the Ocean Freight division. Megafreight installs its first computer system.
1985
Following the now infamous “Rubicon Speech”, Dions experiences substantial exchange losses. In the process of disposing of its subsidiaries, Megafreight is sold to competitor Oceanair, where it continues to trade independently under its own name.
1988
Now operating from their own premises with a larger staff complement, Megafreight develops its own in-house operations software, called Megatrac, that runs on a small Unix 386 computer network. Rohek Warehousing buys a minority stake in the company.
1993
Megafreight enters into an exclusive agreement with JE Bernard in the UK, which proved to be very successful until Bernard was sold to SDV in 2001.
1995
Megafreight appoints SDV as its exclusive global partner.
1998
Megafreight acquires 51% stake in Johannesburg-based customs agent Freight Clearing & Consulting Services (Pty) Ltd – headed by Hennie Enslin, Pieter Henning and Adriaan Mans. Bloemfontein branch opens. BDP International appointed as new global partner.
2001
Megafreight acquires 100% of JH Bachmann & Co (Pty) Ltd from Imperial Holdings, which in turn acquires 60% of Megafreight. The trading name of the company is changed to Bachmann-Megafreight and JH Bachmann is appointed globally as its new exclusive partner. With the addition of JH Bachmann, Megafreight now has offices in Pretoria and Port Elizabeth. Staff complement reaches 300 following the acquisition.
2004
JH Bachmann is sold internationally to DFDS and DFDS (DSV) in turn becomes Megafreight's new exclusive global partner. Company drops Bachmann from its name and reverts to trading as Megafreight.
2012
Megafreight buys back all Imperial shares and once again reverts to a privately owned, independent company.
2018
Acquired Belfreight - Chemical warehouse established in Bredell, Johannesburg (May). General warehouse established in Cape Town (August).
2020
Warehouse established in Gqeberha (PE).
2023
Megafreight unveils a new, state-of-the-art warehouse in Durban
New Durban Warehouse 2023 
Present Day
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