‘Pessimists should wake up to the province’s gateway to Africa status’

“History repeats itself” is a phrase the mainly downbeat Eastern Cape shipping and logistics sectors should have emblazoned in their offices to inspire them into ensuring that the province does realise its potential. At no time in the more than 10 years that FTW has been compiling a feature on the Eastern Cape has the mood been so sombre. This, despite the opening of Ngqura and the recovery of the motor sector from the disastrous 2008 slump. So sombre in fact that two shipping lines have down-scaled their Eastern Cape operations to virtual skeleton staff. But it is not all doom and gloom – others are investing, opening offices and hiring the staff that their competitors trained. Perhaps they have been trolling through some history books and seen the previous gateway status of the province to the rest of Africa. Let’s take this one from Country-data May 1996: “East London handles agricultural exports and is the main outlet for copper exports from other African countries such as Zambia and Zaire”. That may have been out of date even then – but the fact is that East London was preferred to Beira, Durban, Maputo and Walvis Bay. Those rail links are still there. They need work, and if Transnet is not willing to invest perhaps they should be encouraged to concession the South African leg. Then there is the port of firsts – first diamond auction, first gold exports, first IDZ, first deep-water port, etc. In fact, in 1877 Port Elizabeth was the principal port of South Africa. Now, with its twin port of Ngqura, Port Elizabeth is positioned to once again be a major gateway. All it needs is for the Eastern Cape shipping and logistics fraternities to see (and act on) the opportunities.