South African Association of Ship Operators and Agents chairman, Malte Kersten, said the industry welcomed the Ports Regulator's decision and was happy that its input had been considered. “Marine (services tariffs) unchanged is acceptable. We would have liked to see a reduction but we can’t have it all. We are happy about the cargo dues reduction and we hope that it will enhance business in South Africa. It is a signal that we want business here,” Kersten said. Telrita Jacobs of Mercedes Benz in East London said the regulator’s decision was “excellent news” and it had taken manufacturers and cargo owners’ input into consideration. “We are continuously fighting as an automotive sector in competition with our brother and sister companies overseas. Port charges are one of those low hanging fruits that we always have to answer as to why it is so high. We are also gearing up in our sector to start building the new model and to bring business into the country,” Jacobs said. Toyota vice president of production control and logistics division and committee representative for the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa), Brett Van Zyl, thanked the regulator for the reduction which he described as “a very fine gift” for manufacturers. Selma Shwartz-Clausen from the Port Consultative and National Port Consultative Committees said it would be interesting to see how the economy responded to the “watershed” decision that was a “game changer” to help importers and exporters compete in the global supply chain. However, she said she was concerned that the recent corruption which had stopped the deepening of the berth at the Port of Durban could be holding the local economy to ransom. “The outstanding item now is economic oversight. The authority must understand its role to exercise economic oversight which means everyone that is licensed in the port must be held accountable,” she said. Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry president, Musa Makhunga, welcomed the decision as he said chamber members had recently expressed concern regarding high port charges. “The Ports Regulator’s decision is a step in the right direction and will provide some relief to the business community and possibly across the respective industry value chains. This is in line with government’s promise to review various administrative prices such as the port tariffs in order to reignite growth, stimulate economic recovery and secure confidence in sectors affected by regulatory uncertainty and inconsistency,” Makhunga said.
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We would have liked to see a reduction in marine services tariffs but we can’t have it all. “ – Malte Kersten
