Molefe puts cars before hamburgers

Having a car terminal in place of Port Elizabeth’s manganese ore dumps and tank farm would contribute more to the local economy than another hamburger joint and clothing store, says Transnet CEO Brian Molefe. Speaking at a breakfast briefing in Port Elizabeth recently, Molefe was responding to calls by the Chamber of Business and municipality for the freedup areas of the port to be turned into a waterfront. Transnet’s plans for the area to be freed up by moving the bulk ore and petroleum facilities to Ngqura show that it would be paved and converted into a modern vehicle export facility. Molefe said he believed that the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro would be better served by a facility that ensured that the likes of General Motors, Volkswagen and FAW remained competitive, rather than another shopping and restaurant complex. “We need to use our current infrastructure optimally,” he said. Put under pressure by the local business community, he said Transnet could be persuaded otherwise if a compelling business case could be made for the proposed waterfront. “We do not want to be a nation of consumers. We need to utilise our proximity to the sea for trade, not consumption,” he said.