Delivering on port infrastructure does not happen overnight – it is a long, slow and costly process that will take time and will no doubt sometimes test the patience of exporters. But for Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) there is light at the end of the tunnel as the organisation remains committed to delivering on its mandate and improving facilities at the ports. “We are all working towards the same goal – the expansion of the South African economy,” said Nico Walters, TNPA general manager strategy, acknowledging the frustration of perishable exporters especially in the congestion being experienced at ports such as Durban where major upgrades are currently taking place. “The ports have an important role to play in making sure the economy expands but it is not going to happen overnight. It will take time. We have to lease land, plan, improve, develop, maintain and build port infrastructure while at the same time ensuring an efficient and affordable service.” He said despite issues with congestion, the sense within TNPA was that facilities at present were adequate for the requirements of the industry. “Many of you might disagree but we have capacity at present. Our aim is to upgrade our terminals in light of expected volume increases into the future.” Walters said a key focus for TNPA at present was the significant shift from general handling to containers, with bulk terminals struggling to keep af loat while container terminals were buckling under the volumes. “The shift to containers is here to stay and so we now have to look at our ports and the bulk facilities and see how we develop them for the future – taking this change into consideration.” He said perishable trade remained a priority for South Africa and therefore high on the agenda during the development of ports. “We have made sure that we have sufficient reefer capacity while we are expanding our perishable capacity at ports such as Ngqura,” said Walters. Indicating that export growth over the past six years had shown significant increases in the fruit industry especially, he said this was a guiding factor for port authorities. “Food is one of the biggest economic multipliers. It is an important industry and so the port authority does take it seriously,” he said. “Our expectations are that fruit exports will grow even more – between 2 and 5% – over the next five years.” INSERT & CAPTION We are all working towards the same goal ― the expansion of the South African economy. – Nico Walters
