Wheels of justice grind slowly in Portnet cartage case

THE DURBAN court case surrounding the open gates demand from road hauliers in the city - looking for access to the container terminal alongside the currently exclusive Portnet cartage rights - still drags on.
Our lawyers suggest it could be three to four months yet before a judicial decision is reached, said Paul Rayner, m.d. of DTB Cartage and chairman of the Durban harbour carriers section of the Kwa-Zulu/Natal Association of Freight Forwarders (KNAFF).
Portnet have submitted a heads of argument to the appellate division. KNAFF has also sent a letter asking that the appeal be heard as soon as possible.
But the wheels of justice are grinding slowly along, and the terminal gates still remain closed.
However, Portnet has formed a committee to review the suggestions on the open gates policy - a part of the entire Transnet move away from its monopoly policies of the past, and heading on to a privatisation scenario.
They seem to accept the inevitability of it all, said Rayner.