The 9E was built for the Sishen-Saldanha iron ore line after service was taken over by the SAR. They electrified this line with 50 kV AC due to the long distance between substations and the extraordinarily long trains. The locomotives were designed by General Electric and built by Union Carriage & Wagon. 25 were completed in a first batch in 1978 and 1979 and six more followed in 1982 and 1983. They have only one cab and the body is lower in the rear part to provide for enough clearance for the 50 kV equipment. They were built to work under fluctuating voltages between 25 and 55 kV and are being controlled by a thyristor. For trackside work on the long trains, they have a compartment with a motor scooter.

The ore trains consist of 342 cars with a payload of 100 tons each, which are made up of three sections of 114 wagons each and a total of 41,400 tons. Each section was led by a 9E locomotive and two diesel locomotives, with the rear two sections being radio-controlled. Later, two more diesel locomotives were added to the rear to prevent derailments. With the introduction of the 15E electric locomotives in 2009, more and more diesel locomotives were replaced by electric locomotives. In 2007, Alstom had upgraded the electrics and electronics in the 9E.