FTW continues its battle for an audience with MPT

After the happy statement (FTW
October 7, 2011) that the power
of the press seemed to have set a
possible course towards solving
a battle between port users and
the multi-purpose terminal (MPT)
at the Port of Durban, our efforts
have unfortunately once again
hit that inevitable, bureaucratic
brick wall at Transnet Port
Terminals (TPT).
After a lengthy struggle by the
port users to reach a conclusion
over a number of contentious
rules laid down by the MPT came
to a grinding halt, Carl Webb,
spokesman for the users in the
conflict, came to FTW and set out
his problems before us.
After FTW had published a
series of articles expressing these
users’ problems, and condemning
MPT management for not heeding
any of them, Webb was confronted
by Zeph Ndlovu, divisional
executive manager of Maydon
Wharf (where the MPT is located),
at a following meeting and
criticised for taking his moans to
the press.
But Webb suggested to Ndlovu
that the power of the press could
be used by TPT to achieve a
positive result, and that FTW had
told him we would be happy to
print his action plan to overcome
the problems.
Webb insisted that Ndlovu would
be happy for there to be a threeway
meeting on the matter.
But, after almost a whole week
of attempting to set this up, and
messages being left with Ndlovu’s
office and on his cell phone voicemail
– FTW was left with nothing
but the fact that Ndlovu was
always “unavailable”.
But we haven’t given up –
and will keep you posted on
our progress.