RAY SMUTS
PARASTATALS ARE not perfect organisations. Even so, those who do not fit in and are intent on 'poisoning the system' should be worked out, says Cape Town's outgoing port services manager Malcolm Green.
In his farewell address to clients and colleagues last week, Green said a certain amount of bureaucracy accompanied a parastatal but cautioned against allowing sometimes longwinded processes to stunt the progress of the port.
He said that the most successful managers in the Port of Cape Town were those uninhibited by red tape, who were able to find ways of achieving excellence within the system.
Don't fall into the trap of criticising the organisation you work for.
This is a young organisation which is going places. Portnet is a good company and its people should be proud to be a part of it.
One sometimes hears criticism in the corridors and it is generally from individuals who do not
fit the organisation and who are intent on poisoning the system. Manage those people out.
Green said when he arrived 28 months ago
the climate within could best be described as
confrontational while clients were generally critical - and some still were - considering Portnet to be the worst supplier of services on the planet.
Port operations were turning in operating losses but yet we still looked great behind something called wharfage. Cargo volumes were declining and there was a sense that there was nothing we could do about it.
Management was not in touch with their financial detail and the introduction of the income statement caused some consternation.
The port had however risen to the challenge and was delivering far better results than previously while management and labour were co-operative in the main, he said.
Our customers are generally quieter as is the press. There are still issues but there is a willingness by all to deal with these in a respectful and deliberate manner. The Port Liaison Forum is currently reviewing its purpose as there is little to talk about.
Green urged all to have faith in Portnet's new leadership, saying: They are bringing about meaningful change and are fully committed to a well-run port system.
Outgoing Cape Town port services manager Malcolm Green at his farewell function with successor Sanjay Govan and Riah Phiyega, Portnet's general manager for strategic co-ordination.
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