Leonard Neill
A NATIONAL PORTS policy is being prepared by the South African government that will fast-track the country's ports to world class status. In addition, the government is firmly on track with its plans to restructure Portnet's port operations to allow for private sector investment and management of terminals.
This was the message from minister of public enterprises Jeff Radebe when he addressed a large gathering of local and central government officials and leaders in the automotive industry at the official opening of East London's new motor vehicle terminal last Tuesday.
The government is committed to ensuring that the South African ports system becomes comparable with the best ports in the world, he said.
Referring to the new terminal Radebe said that if South Africa was to become a global player in the transport arena it needed services like those being developed in East London, as well as the backing of large manufacturers like DaimlerChrysler which will be the major role player in utilising the facility.
Ports play a critical role in the export scene, and we are giving priority to this matter, he said.
The private sector investment and management of terminals will allow government to meet its objective of wider economic participation by South Africans while ensuring that much needed foreign direct investment and technology flows into the country.
This investment is in line with the State President's announcement at the opening of parliament that we want to bolster infrastructure in our port system, he said. Through such projects we hope to see significant and meaningful black empowerment opportunities emerging. There are many opportunities for black entrepreneurs to be involved in port construction.
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