RAY SMUTS THAT THE Western Cape is caught up in a building frenzy of unprecedented proportions – compounded by essential infrastructure for the 2010 World Soccer Cup extravaganza – is evident, as Moosa’s Enterprises’ MD Ismail Moosa is patently aware. What he makes abundantly clear is that involvement in the Western Cape transport sector, in which Moosa’s Enterprises is a major player, is certainly no casual amble along the freeway. It’s tough out there, with hundreds upon hundreds of operators, ranging from single to large truck operators, all vying for a slice of the pie. Yet Moosa’s Enterprises, operating with an up-to-date fleet of more than 100 self-owned Mercedes-Benz and MAN trucks from its own new and purpose-built premises at Montague Gardens near Cape Town, makes no bones about providing the same level of dedication to its client base, no matter how large or small they may be. Moosa’s Enterprises, founded in 1974 by now-retired Essop Moosa, who started out selling fruit at the Grand Parade in the city centre, is focused on the perishable and container business, 90% of it in the Cape Peninsula but no involvement in cross-province or intra-Africa trade. “We do not handle fruit at all but large volumes of imported and exported frozen fish, in addition to varied dry cargo and palletised loads,” explains Moosa. He maintains business has become more fiercely competitive than in days gone by. Moosa concedes the pre-2010 building explosion augurs well for the transportation sector but ponders about the outlook once the decade has passed. “Right now, we are handling a lot of imports, like plastics, from Saudi Arabia, China and Malaysia (for 2010 World Cup toys), but we are not really equipped for throwing out what has been planned for the next three years. “Post-2010 may result in a bit of a slump for our industry but hopefully, bring us better things for the future.”
