Twenty years of constructive problem solving

Twenty years of operation has seen the Cape’s Port Liaison Forum (PLF) become a model for solving complex problems where many parties are involved. The organisation recently celebrated its 20th anniversary at a glitzy evening function hosted by the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry, bringing role-players together to reminisce about the early days and also to look to the future. “It has provided a neutral forum where the practical problems of shipping goods in and out of the country can be discussed and solved,” said Janine Myburgh, president of the Chamber. The PLF brings together all stakeholders once a month to sit down around one table In the early days the unions representing the dock workers also played a constructive part and provided insight into some practical issues although they are no longer represented at the forum. But it was during these very first discussions at the PLF that members began to see the viewpoint of others. This in turn led to a better understanding of the problems, and solutions that really worked were created. Before 1995 volumes of imports and exports were low and the situation was manageable. After 1995 the economy improved and world markets opened up to South Africa. The port authorities expected growth. The first three years saw an annual growth of 1.7% and a prediction of a 3% growth for the future. “They couldn’t have been more wrong,” said Myburgh. “International markets were opening up. In 1999 container volumes grew by 7.2%, by 8.4% the next year and by 23.6% in 2001 leading to a crisis in 2002.” At one stage the congestion delay was 72 hours at the port. The port was working 24 hours a day and delays were costing many millions of rands while exporters were losing orders. Ships were by-passing Cape Town. It was clear that emergency measures were called for. The first of these was to get the private sector to operate around the clock. The port did not have enough space to stack containers and it did not have enough staff and equipment. Government purse strings were loosened, more people were employed and efficiencies improved. Mike Walwyn, chairman of the PLF, said there was a great deal of frustration. Trucks laden with containers queued for hours to gain admission to the port and the problem spilled over into the city traffic. “Discussions at the PLF have helped everyone to gain a better understanding of the issues, leading to major decisions to develop the port and invest in new cranes and straddle carriers and reefer points for the cooled containers of export fruit. “Not all the problems have been solved and there will be new problems in the future but we have a forum to deal with them. That gives us all a great deal of confidence for the future,” said Walwyn. INSERT & CAPTION Discussions at the PLF have helped everyone to gain a better understanding of the issues. – Mike Walwyn