As the general manager of the Port of Durban, the country’s busiest and the second-largest container port in Africa, Moshe Motlohi knows the pressure is always on. Freight News features editor Liesl Venter sat down to ask him some questions.
LV: Being at the helm of the Port of Durban must be incredibly challenging, but also rewarding. This is true in normal times – but even more so during a global pandemic and economic recession. What, in your opinion, is the most challenging aspect of being port manager of one of the busiest ports in Africa today?
MM: It is true that being at the helm of the Port of Durban can be challenging and rewarding at the same time. At this juncture the most challenging aspect of my job is to lead efforts to bring about coordination of business activities that co-habit the port and those who are dependent on it for their businesses to survive. This includes having an excellent working relationship with the city. These businesses are run by different people and have different philosophies when it comes to what is best for their businesses. My challenge is that the port has to be run in a manner that ensures all these diverse players in the value chain can derive value in their interaction. For this to happen, I have to be seen as an honest broker who has the interests of the entire port community at heart. Creating an environment of trust is key since we will have to get all the stakeholders to share some information, noting that some are competitors – and one has to be mindful of the underlying insecurities around sharing some of the information.
LV: Port infrastructure is often a bone of contention. Is it a challenge?
MM: The installation and maintenance of port infrastructure is of critical importance. Here I am referring to improving road and rail networks that link the port with key industrial parks. Linked to this is the upgrade of port security to protect our facilities from all forms of criminality. What is just as important and another one of our challenges is a robust terminal/depot efficiency monitoring system. This is important in our situation where there is sharing of certain key infrastructure.
LV: What motivates you?
MM: My motivation comes from knowing that the port has a big role to play socio-economically. Knowing that the port impacts the city’s GDP by 22%, KZN’s by 11% and RSA by 2% is the biggest motivator for me. When I see ships sailing in and out, I get motivated to push for more.
LV: How do you keep staff motivated?
MM: I motivate my staff by making sure that they appreciate their purpose of being in the port. I aim to connect with them at a level that makes everyone feel that they matter and that they have a contribution to make. I also make them feel that I believe in their commitment. Communication with them is really the wind in the sails of motivating them. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown I have started sending out a weekly bulletin to internal and external stakeholders to keep them abreast of efforts during this period.
LV: I know you are a firm believer in the principle of collaboration. What is the ideal collaborative situation you want to see between the public and private sector at the Port of Durban?
I would like to see a situation where public and private sector players leverage off each other when it comes to port development. We open up opportunities to make it possible for entrepreneurs to come forward who would like to invest in the provision of solutions for the port. These should be underpinned by the desire to create stakeholder value.
LV: Maybe you can tell the Freight News readers one thing they should now about their port manager?I am a believer in systems thinking and always endeavour to look at the world from a broader system perspective, looking at connections in any situation.
