We don’t want another ‘Eskom!’

South Africa needs to invest in infrastructure for the future, as the country’s estimates of future volumes are not as far off as many may think. Whilst Transnet’s proposal for a dig-out port in Durban has repeatedly come under fire – with its volume projection being questioned – logistics experts maintain the country is far better off investing in infrastructure now and creating capacity ahead of demand. “There is no doubt in my mind that we need the dig-out port,” says Professor Jan Havenga of the Department of Logistics at the University of Stellenbosch. “We can over- or under-estimate volumes for the future and the answer will still be that we need to create the capacity. It may be a few years earlier or later than originally thought, but ports take a long time to build.” He says even with a negative outlook on the growth of the economy and a conservative estimate of expected volume growth, Durban will eventually be under severe pressure and that will affect the country far more negatively. “Durban would not be able to cope. Preparing in advance is more beneficial than dealing with a crisis only when it happens. We only have to look at loadshedding to understand what the impact would be if volumes do increase and we don’t have the capacity in place,” he says. “The government has to build the infrastructure that it thinks it will need. Ports and the investment they require have to be considered far into the future.” INSERT & CAPTION There is no doubt in my mind that we need the digout port. – Professor Jan Havenga