According to the latest Cargo Movement Update (CMU) compiled by Business Unity SA and the South African Association of Freight Forwarders, average daily container handling went up from 5737 in the first week of June to 9589 last week, an increase of 40%.
This follows a drop of 30% in the same week that South Africa’s poor showing in the World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index was announced.
A slight drop is expected this week, with the CMU forecasting an average of 8893 containers handled daily.
“Port operations were primarily impacted by inclement weather conditions, equipment breakdowns and shortages. Adverse weather conditions and equipment breakdowns constituted the majority of delays in Cape Town, while strong winds and high swells prevented optimal performance at the Port of Durban last week.
“Crane breakdowns and strong winds ensured operational delays at our Eastern Cape ports. Minimal reports were received from Transnet Freight Rail this week, however one report indicated that no major incidents occurred on the rail network,” the Update reports.
The daily average of air cargo handled at OR Tambo International Airport was916 162kg per day in the previous week, which was 18% higher than in June 2023, and 1% higher than June 2019, the first time since the CMU was started.
The CMU notes that exports in Sub-Saharan Africa increased by 8.8% in April, despite a monthly and annual decline in trade across the region.
“Despite recent throughput and efficiency setbacks, South Africa, which accounted for 25% of Sub-Saharan imports and 39% of exports, still plays a dominant role in regional container trade. Port congestion, particularly at the Port of Durban, has worsened contributing to global supply chain disruptions,” it said.
With respect to regional cross-border road freight trade, the average queue increased by an hour and a half last week compared to the previous week, but transit times decreased by nearly seven hours.
Median border-crossing times at South African borders decreased by two and a half hours last week, averaging 9.6 hours, or 21% lower than the week before.
“In contrast, the greater SADC region, excluding areas under South African control, decreased by more than seven hours and averaged around 2.5 hours, or 74% lower week-on-week,” according to the CMU.
