At its formation, the Southern African Railways Association (SARA) was to originally provide the SADC railways with a strong lobbying association to pursue advocacy for fair surface transport competition to be achieved through– “levelling of the playing field” between road and rail in terms of policy and regulations. Modal equity was to be achieved by enforcing the User Pays Principle where the road pays the full cost of road infrastructure or infrastructure support to railways by Governments. Members of SARA are predominantly railways in the SADC region, some major railway customers and suppliers, and other organisations with special interest in railways.