Transnet needs to focus on productivity — and partners
The mess at the ports and rail utility has come at an enormous cost to the economy. On 20 Nov, Durban’s port had 60+ vessels waiting at anchor, and food producers reported 12-16 day delays for exports at Cape Town port. On 29 Nov, reports revealed ±100,000 containers stuck at sea. This spells empty shelves ahead of the festive season, the unavailability of vital spares & equipment, and tons of fruit going to waste before shipping. Transnet needs significant investment in infrastructure and has to become massively more efficient. There seems to be no alternative to bringing in private sector concessionaires and partners that can put up the capital and bring the expertise.