New management team moves into place at Transnet terminals

Following the restructuring of
its chief of operations (COO)
role in October 2008 and the
subsequent appointment of
three sector-specific divisional
executive managers reporting
to a single COO, Transnet
Port Terminals has made
several new management
appointments at three of its
terminals. These became
effective on December 1.
Nikki Mbengashe,
formerly the business unit
executive (BUE) at Saldanha
multipurpose terminal (MPT),
has been appointed BUE at
Richards Bay MPT.
Mbengashe is a qualified
industrial engineer with an
MBA from the UCT Graduate
School of Business, as well
as qualifications in Project
Management and Strategic
Logistics Management. In
2005 she also completed
a course at the Antwerp/
Flanders Port Training Centre
in Belgium where her main
focus was on creating and
taking more ownership of
value chains around the ports
as a port operator.
Her appointment follows
the October promotion of
Victor Mkhize from BUE
at Richards Bay MPT to
divisional executive manager
for the multipurpose and
automotive sectors.
Louis Du Toit replaces
Mbengashe as BUE at the
Saldanha MPT, having
transferred from his recent
position as BUE at the
Transnet Academy School of
Port Operations in Durban.
Du Toit brings 27 years of
experience in the local and
Namibian ports environment
to the position.
He is a qualified cost and
management accountant and
also holds a diploma in port
management obtained from
the British Port Industry
Training College in Northwest
Kent. He achieved his MBA
in General Management cum
laude at the University of the
Free State and was awarded
the Standard Bank prize as the
leading final year student in
his class.
Du Toit believes one of
the most pressing challenges
at Saldanha MPT’s niche
terminal serving mainly
the steel industry will be to
diversify the customer base
to optimise existing capacity
under staggering global
economic conditions.
Hector Danisa, former
BUE of the Port Elizabeth
terminals, has assumed the
equivalent role at the Ngqura
Container Terminal. This
follows the appointment of
the terminal’s former BUE
Siyabulela Mhlaluka as
divisional executive manager
for the container sector in
October last year.
Danisa holds a BSc, BSC
Honours and an MBA degree
and has fulfilled numerous
roles since joining Transnet
just over three years ago. He
has been at the helm of Port
Elizabeth terminal for over
a year and has steered the
company through an era of
highest productivity across
its container, car and bulk
terminals.
The BUE role at the Port
Elizabeth terminals is still
vacant but will be advertised
to identify a suitable
candidate.