The busiest Port In South Africa Is Hit By Disastrous Gridlock
Business and political groups claim that over 60,000 containers are at sea, waiting to be offloaded at the largest port in South Africa, as a result of bottleneck caused by equipment breakdowns and bad weather.
This situation is negatively impacting the country’s already weak economy. The South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF) reports that dozens of vessels are awaiting clearance from the port of Durban, which is responsible for over 60% of the nation’s container cargo.
A political spat broke out over the congestion at the state-owned Transnet port on Monday, with the main opposition party demanding the public enterprises minister be fired.
According to Transnet, inclement weather, ageing equipment, and other problems are aggravating breakdowns, which is why Durban is experiencing delays.
But according to business associations and the DA, the problem has been building for a while.
The Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry stated last week that “this delay is due to lack (of) equipment maintenance, failure to buy equipment and run the straddles, stacks, and tugs effectively,” and they were calling for a “immediate solution”.