Low staff morale aggravates CT port security

Ray Smuts
SEEN FROM a port perspective, Cape Town is not a happy place right now as new National Ports Authority security manager Sydney Esau comes to grips with a host of problems, from alleged fraud and theft to low staff morale, vagrants and ladies of the night.
Just three months into this exacting new position, Esau, 51, former security chief at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, prior to that attached to the Cape Town traffic department as a senior inspector for 28 years, is well qualified to talk about what poor staff morale does for productivity.
As to how he is going to overcome low morale in the port, Esau asserts: "I am an open door person but one must deliver what is promised and in the past the in-house security complement here never had the opportunity to speak to the manager because he avoided them."
While he believes there is a "new sense of optimism" within the ranks, port manager Sanjay Govan is clearly not over the moon - yet.
As to my question on how they score port security effectiveness on a scale of one to ten, Govan came up with a lowly four while Esau thought five would be about right.
Harbour permits Ð or rather poor handling of applications for the permits Ð are also a major bugbear for Esau.
Many go astray because they were simply not captured by the system.
Just how inadequate the previous system was is clear as Esau is unable to answer the question: how many licensed port users are there in Cape Town?
It has also emerged that fraudulent activities are taking place with regard to port permits. One large transport company has been denied access to the port and fraud charges are pending after a number of duplicate permits were made.