Source: AFP
More than 60,000 containers are stuck at sea waiting to be unloaded at South Africa’s biggest port amid a gridlock caused by bad weather and equipment failures that are hurting the poor economy, according to business and political groups.
Dozens of ships are waiting outside the southeastern port of Durban, which handles about 60 percent of the country’s container traffic, according to the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF).
The bottleneck at the port, which is managed by state-owned Transnet, turned into a political row on Monday, with the leading opposition party calling for the sacking of the public works minister.
“The situation is catastrophic,” said John Steenhuizen, head of the Democratic Alliance (DA) party, after flying over the harbor by helicopter.
“The cost of this crisis is enormous and threatens not only the performance of South Africa’s already struggling economy, but also our desirability as an investment destination for international trade.”
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South Africa heads to general elections in 2024 amid high unemployment and weak economic growth.
A major exporter of minerals and agricultural products, its ports are often seen as the gateway to southern Africa.
Transnet said the delays in Durban were a result of bad weather exacerbating breakdowns, aging equipment and other issues.
But the DA and business groups said the crisis was long overdue.
“This delay is due to the lack of equipment maintenance, the inability to purchase equipment and the efficient operation of straddles, stacks and tugs,” the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry said last week, demanding an “immediate solution”.
Beset by bribery scandals, maintenance problems and theft, Transnet, which runs the country’s rail freight network and all its ports, has long struggled to prop up Africa’s most industrialized economy.
Holdups at Durban and other terminals cost the economy more than 120 million rand ($6.4 million) a day, according to the SAAFF.
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The situation has reached a critical point, SAAFF director Mike Walwin told AFP, calling for public-private partnerships to take over the management of the ports.
Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa said greater private sector involvement in container terminals was among planned reforms to the logistics system.
“I have made it clear to the administration that I would like to see all the issues resolved by next year,” Ramaphosa said as he visited the port of Richards Bay, where delays have forced Transnet to suspend the processing of trucks carrying coal exports.
Opinion polls for next year’s election show the ruling African National Congress, marred by allegations of corruption and mismanagement, could see its vote fall below 50 percent for the first time since the advent of democracy in 1994 .
Source: AFP