Transnet National Ports
Authority has hinted
at a more permanent
‘discount’ programme
in its tariff application
submitted to the Ports
Regulator for the
financial year 2013/14.
Chief financial
officer Mohammed
Abdul told guests at a
business breakfast in
Johannesburg last week
that the once-off R1bn
discount programme
introduced in April
this year had been well
received. “The concern
was that exporters
needed something more
sustainable in order to
win export business. In
order to secure contracts
they can’t have this kind
of uncertainty,” he said.
“With the submission
of our tariff application
for the financial year
2013/14 you will see
that we have introduced
something more
permanent in terms of
the container business
and automotive sector
– and not only in terms
of export but also for
imports where we are
proposing a reduction of
the tariff book on a more
permanent basis as well
as a further reduction in
terms of exports in the
automotive sector.”
This, he believes, will
go a long way to boosting
South Africa’s export
industry.
Sketching the
background to the current
discount programme,
Abdul explained that
to determine the tariff
for the current financial
year, the Ports Authority
had applied to the Ports
Regulator for a onceoff
discounted tariff on
certain commodities
particularly to support
the manufacturing
industry.
This was in order to
address the container
imbalance in the number
of full import containers
as opposed to empties
going out.
“We therefore put
together what we called
the cargo dues export
discount programme for
which R1bn was granted
– confined to the export
of full 20- and 40-foot
boxes and the export of
motor vehicles.
“We requested a
discount of R1 820 of the
normal tariff of a 40-foot
box and R740 on a 20 ft
box and R200 for each
car that was exported –
and this was introduced
in the financial year
beginning April 1, 2012.
“But once the R1bn is
taken up it’s time out.”
For the period to
October 25 this year
the discount has been
awarded to 158 000 40ft
boxes across all the ports
– a value of R288m.
In terms of 20ft boxes
R192m has been paid out
on 260 000 boxes.
“Effectively as part of
the discount we equated
the price of the boxes to
a level of R340 – whether
they were 20ft or 40ft
containers.
“On the automotive
side 154 000 cars have
qualified for the discount
translating to R31m.
“Of the total we have
therefore given back
R511.7m in roughly seven
months of the year and
we believe that this has
made a positive impact
on cargo owners.”
And TNPA has
committed to awarding
the full R1bn in this
financial year.
The Ports Regulator
was due to begin a
national road show
this week outlining the
details of the proposed
programme for the next
financial year.
INSERT
‘Of the total we have
given back R511.7m in
roughly seven months
of the year.’
CAPTION
Mohammed Abdul ... proposing reduction of the tariff book on a
more permanent basis.
