Another month, another list of recommendations to improve the Port of Cape Town, this time from the Western Cape provincial parliament’s standing committee on finance, economic opportunities and tourism.
The recommendations are contained in a report compiled following engagement between the standing committee and key port stakeholders, among them Transnet, Exporters Western Cape, and the South African Association of Ship Operators and Agents. The report has been sent to Transnet, President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan.
Most of the recommendations will sound painfully familiar to anybody holding out hope of improvements at the under-performing Port; they include: more private sector involvement; reduce transporter congestion; reduce berth waiting time; and increase the number of night shifts to reduce traffic and truck flow.
Other recommendations of equal importance include establishing a digital technology platform “to facilitate cargo planning along the entire container logistics chain”. Transnet should also “proactively manage peaks in cargo volumes and recovery after adverse terminal events,” the report suggests.
A noteworthy aspect of the report is its broad scope and detailed assessment of the negative impacts related to poor port performance, including impacts on the manufacturing sector. Boat builders have regularly complained about the impact of port congestion, both in relation to boat exports and supplier imports. “Many exporters were upset because they were getting new contracts from the US; however, they were unable to deliver because vessels were too full,” the report notes. “This was unacceptable. This did not only apply to fruit exports but to manufactured goods as well, which was part of the Growth for Jobs strategy. There was going to be major growth in the manufacturing market; however, if the containers cannot be shipped then the country will lose out on the opportunity.”
