Latest version of ports bill provides pleasant surprise

NPA will not be left permanently
in the hands of Transnet
ALAN PEAT
THERE’S A pleasant surprise in the latest version of the National Ports Authority (NPA) Bill – currently on its path through parliament – that the NPA will not be left permanently in the hands of Transnet.
Those are the words of Tony Norton, head of Garlicke and Bousfield’s maritime section, and chairman of the National Port Users Forum (Npuf) – after his review of this latest bill.
“I am surprised that the bill has not been amended further to accommodate what I understood to be the view of Maria Ramos (CEO of Transnet) that the NPA would never be removed from the Transnet stable.
“In fact the mechanism to remove it, on my reading, remains in place. Consequently, that particular course of action remains available to a minister of public enterprises (currently Alec Erwin) should Transnet not perform as holding company of the NPA.”
What is termed the “Maydon Wharf issue” – where companies having long-standing but extremely low cost leases on harbour property can find these leases terminated – still remains in the latest bill, Norton added.
“Thus,” he said, “on balance and subject to the use and interpretation of the legislation in due course, I do not believe that the Npuf has done that badly!”