The Western Cape government has begun sharing its own port performance data with the World Bank as part of a four-point plan to improve efficiency at the Port of Cape Town.
The plan was announced after the World Bank’s 2025 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) ranked Cape Town last among 400 container ports globally.
At the time, Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism Ivan Meyer said the ranking underscored the urgent need for coordinated action to improve port performance and strengthen the country’s trade competitiveness.
Speaking to Freight News on the sidelines of an Exporters Western Cape event, Ilse van Schalkwyk, deputy director-general in the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism, said implementation of the plan was progressing well.
“We have met with the World Bank team and it has been a very positive experience. We have gained a better understanding of the process and have been able to share our own data with them,” she said.
Van Schalkwyk said the CPPI remained a useful international benchmark, although it assessed 400 of approximately 980 ports offering container services globally and relied on the data available to its researchers.
By comparison, the province’s Digital Logistics Planning Platform (DLPP) provides real-time information on vessel movements, anchorage delays, berth times and overall port-call performance. The DLPP dataset used to assess Cape Town’s performance is approximately twice the size of the sample available to the World Bank.
“Our own real-time statistics show that there has been an improvement at the port,” she said. “However, whether it is the dataset or the sample size, we do not want to be anywhere near the bottom. We have to improve the situation.”
Van Schalkwyk said the province would continue sharing DLPP data with the World Bank’s CPPI team, which had been open to further engagement following the initial discussions.
The second intervention under the plan – engagement with Transnet National Ports Authority, Transnet Port Terminals and Transnet Freight Rail on operational measures to improve performance – had also taken place.
Although the Western Cape government has no direct operational mandate over the port, Van Schalkwyk said it remained in continuous discussions with Transnet.
“We are in continuous discussions with Transnet and remain committed to working with them to improve the port’s performance,” she said.
The third intervention, involving collaboration with port users, is under way, while the fourth is scheduled for February 2027, when the province plans to invite the World Bank’s CPPI team to participate in its annual Port of Cape Town stakeholder dialogue.
