An exposé by Carte Blanche about Transnet and the Port of Cape Town has itself been criticised for not exposing televised labour issues—a port employee clearly more concerned with a mobile phone than the job at hand, and a crane operator leaving a container hanging in mid-air.
An industry source told Freight News: “I don’t know why Carte Blanche is so concerned about the equipment at the port.
“The second-hand gantry cranes that were acquired are no state secret.
“Why didn’t they go to the United National Transport Union (Untu) with the footage they have of what are most likely Untu members at work?”
He said performance problems by port personnel were a long-standing issue that should be thoroughly investigated.
When asked why a container was left hanging in mid-air, the source, who requested anonymity, said: “It’s highly dangerous not to complete a move.
“I hope it’s not because the person’s lunch break arrived.”
He added that considering the weather challenges the port has had—where operations were severely disrupted last week by wind in excess of 100 kilometres an hour—cargo stabilisation should be ensured through safe container loading and offloading.
This includes completing moves.
Because an Untu representative was interviewed as part of the exposé, it appears Carte Blanche wasn’t prepared to use the opportunity to probe the representative about possible safety-related labour violations at the port.
The focus of the exposé was clearly aimed at targeting Transnet.
