Monday, June 23, 2025
SUBSCRIBE
21 GLOBAL MEDIA AWARDS
Food For Mzansi
  • News
  • Changemakers
  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Changemakers
  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought
No Result
View All Result
Food For Mzansi
No Result
View All Result
in Agribusiness, News

Trade union irked by R100bn plan for Durban port

Duncan Masiwaby Duncan Masiwa
23rd April 2021
durban port

Transnet is looking to invest R100 billion into the expansion of the Durban port by 2023. It is looking to do this with the support of private companies. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsApp

The National Union of Mineworkers (Numsa) says moving Transnet’s head office to the Eastern Cape will effectively render the Durban port useless. This, despite President Cyril Ramaphosa’s vow to position Durban “as a world-class port and as a hub port for the Southern Hemisphere.”

In his latest newsletter, Ramaphosa says the new Transnet management has ambitious and exciting expansion plans for all five of the Durban port’s precincts. This is set to require more than R100 billion in new investment over the next decade.

This, the president believes, will completely transform the port, expanding its capacity for container handling from 2.9 million units to more than 11 million units.

President Cyril Ramaphosa recently concluded an oversight visit to the Durban port. He describes it as “an important national asset belonging to the people of South Africa”. Photo: Flickr/@GovernmentZA
President Cyril Ramaphosa recently concluded an oversight visit to the Durban port. He describes it as “an important national asset belonging to the people of South Africa”. Photo: Flickr/@GovernmentZA

He writes, “If the port does not function efficiently, the entire economy suffers, from importers and exporters to consumers. 

“On the other hand, if the port works well, it can drive economic growth and position our country as a gateway to the region and the continent.”

According to Ramaphosa, the Durban port has, in recent years, slipped from its position as first in Africa to third, behind Tangier in Morocco and Port Said in Egypt. Last week, the president concluded an oversight visit to the port.

ALSO READ: Cape Town port: Let’s just kiss and say goodbye

Push-back from unions

Meanwhile organised labour says Ramaphosa excluded them from his consultations with the private sector over the Durban port.

Speaking to the SABC, Numsa’s KwaZulu-Natal secretary, Mbuso Ngubane, says government will hamstring the Durban harbour.

Ngubane says they are worried and don’t understand the strategy of relocating HQ and relocating some of the container terminals to the Eastern Cape. These plans were announced earlier this year as part of “ongoing cost-saving and efficiency initiatives”.

“Their intention is to make this harbour useless, so that by the end of the day they can privatise it.”

Ngubane adds, “We think that what they are doing is actually against what you could call a market demand strategy which was adopted by Parliament which also emphasises two things.

“One is the size of job creation. Two is the rehabilitation of the infrastructure in this harbour. But the new strategy that is being implemented, we are not clear where was that strategy adopted and what is it that strategy entails.”

Agbiz chief economist Wandile Sihlobo says, “The industry has been working closely with the government and other stakeholders, such as Transnet, to smooth the flow at the ports.

“There is ongoing work at Transnet to decongest the Durban port. The multi-stakeholder cooperation was key to enabling higher export volumes during a pandemic.”

ALSO READ: Container shortage threatens SA’s bumper fruit harvests

Tags: AgbizCyril RamaphosaDurban portTransnetWandile Sihlobo

Related Posts

Grain industry cheers as Leaf Services gets the boot

Grain industry cheers as Leaf Services gets the boot

23rd June 2025
Tractor rollout powers up struggling KZN farmers

This week’s agri events: 24 – 27 June

23rd June 2025

New multi-million rand wine fund backs black-owned brands

KZN MEC urges fast-tracking of key Ndwedwe projects

New 10-year strategy sets vision for Africa’s agri future

Agribusiness confidence slips amid trade and disease worries

High trade tariffs loom if Agoa deal fails

Tractor rollout powers up struggling KZN farmers

New multi-million rand wine fund backs black-owned brands
News

New multi-million rand wine fund backs black-owned brands

by Tiisetso Manoko
21st June 2025

Transformation in South Africa’s wine industry just got real. The new Wine and Spirits Fund, launched by the agriculture department,...

Read moreDetails
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for agriculture and rural development, Thembeni kaMadlopha-Mthethwa, during a site visit to key infrastructure projects in Ndwedwe as part of Operation Sukuma Sakhe. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

KZN MEC urges fast-tracking of key Ndwedwe projects

21st June 2025
Spice up winter with this yummy sausage & bean stew

Spice up winter with this yummy sausage & bean stew

20th June 2025
New 10-year strategy sets vision for Africa’s agri future

New 10-year strategy sets vision for Africa’s agri future

20th June 2025
FMD: Farmers who notice symptoms of foot and mouth disease in their livestock should report it to local veterinarians as soon as possible. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Agribusiness confidence slips amid trade and disease worries

20th June 2025

Importer urges flexible chicken deal with Brazil

Broilers: Small-scale success starts with these steps

High trade tariffs loom if Agoa deal fails

Rangelands under pressure: Saving SA’s grazing heartland

New 10-year strategy sets vision for Africa’s agri future

THE NEW FACE OF SOUTH AFRICAN AGRICULTURE

With 21 global awards in the first six years of its existence, Food For Mzansi is much more than an agriculture publication. It is a movement, unashamedly saluting the unsung heroes of South African agriculture. We believe in the power of agriculture to promote nation building and social cohesion by telling stories that are often overlooked by broader society.

Grain industry cheers as Leaf Services gets the boot

This week’s agri events: 24 – 27 June

Rangelands under pressure: Saving SA’s grazing heartland

New multi-million rand wine fund backs black-owned brands

KZN MEC urges fast-tracking of key Ndwedwe projects

Spice up winter with this yummy sausage & bean stew

  • Awards & Global Impact
  • Our Story
  • Contact Us
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright

Contact us
Office: +27 21 879 1824
News: info@foodformzansi.co.za
Advertising: sales@foodformzansi.co.za

Contact us
Office: +27 21 879 1824
News: info@foodformzansi.co.za
Advertising: sales@foodformzansi.co.za

  • Awards & Global Impact
  • Our Story
  • Contact Us
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Changemakers
  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought

Copyright © 2024 Food for Mzansi

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.