Port sites on offer
NEW lease agreements on more than 30 properties and operational sites in or around the Port of Durban have come available in the port’s Ship Repair and Bayhead precincts.
Announcing this last week, the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) said the commercial sites, which will be leasable for a minimum of five years, present opportunities for new entrants with a minimum of 51% black ownership to participate in port-related activities.
According to the manager of the Port of Durban, Moshe Motlohi, this exercise was part of transforming the port space and making it more inclusive for interested businesses, especially new entrants.
“This is the first ever real estate lease application exercise of this magnitude and we hope that it will be well received by the public, especially for communities residing in and around the Port of Durban,” he said.
“As the national ports authority, we have a responsibility to the country to help address the three scourges plaguing South Africa – unemployment, poverty and inequality – by making business opportunities available for small and emerging businesses owned by previously disadvantaged individuals to operate within the port environment,” Motlohi said.
The commercial sites range in size from 14m² to 5 000m² and are mostly used for port- and logistics-related activities such as light industrial engineering workshops, repair operations and storage.
The properties up for grabs include a restaurant which caters for the Bayhead industrial workers market and sites suitable for local sporting bodies, boating clubs and fishing clubs.
“Currently the Port of Durban has been leasing these properties on a month-to-month basis to a group of businesses for more than 20 years. This will now change, as most of the lease agreement terms will be on a five-year lease term agreement,” said Gary Young, the port’s real estate manager.
Young said while most of the properties were still occupied, their lease agreements were soon coming to an end.
“Where the lease expires, we put them out to the market through a public process to identify new participants,” Young said.
Current tenants are encouraged to participate in the process, although it appears preference will be given to new entrants and applicants who have a minimum of 51% black ownership.
TNPA chief executive Richard Vallihu said the country’s ports were a catalyst for economic growth, and called for what TNPA calls “radical port reform”.
He said this included unleashing the potential of the ports to create jobs and open them to the participation of historically disadvantaged communities.
The Port of Durban has a land area of 985 hectares and has at least 352 lease agreements with a number of businesses operating within the port vicinity.
Interested parties can refer to the tender advertisements in national newspapers or contact Silindile Gwala or Cindy Hlubi, on 031 361 8747 or fax 031 361 8854.