DCT prepared for 'green' blockade

The Durban Container
Terminal (DCT) is to be shut
down for at least three hours
later this month, as members
of the South Durban
Community Environmental
Alliance (SDCEA) organise
a blockade of its sole access
road.
The alliance’s complaint,
extrapolated to its ultimate
conclusion, effectively implies
that the Port of Durban
should shut down for good.
According to co-ordinator
Desmond D’Sa, the SDCEA
has “had enough of Transnet
and the business community's
expansion of containers and
trucks on our roads”.
And, he added, “the
livelihoods of fisherfolk and
the airport farmers remain
threatened”. This by what
he described as Transnet’s
“irresponsible development”
in the Durban harbour and at
the old airport site.
But this expression of the
alliance’s will, in blocking
Bayhead Road from
10:00hrs-13:00hrs on April
27, has met with some ire
amongst container truckers.
“The congestion it causes
effectively slows down the
flow of trucks in and out of
the terminal for the whole of
that day,” said one. “And this
will probably extend to the
following two or three days,
as a backlog of scheduled
container movements will
have built up. More lost
income in our books. All this
alliance is doing is costing
other Durban people money.
Unfair.”
Transnet, however,
feels that it will be able to
minimise the effects of the
blockade.
“Transnet has noted
the SDCEA intention to
block roads leading to the
DCT,” Transnet spokesman,
Mboniso Sigonyela, told
FTW. “The company
will activate its business
continuity processes to
ensure minimum disruption
to operations.”