Task team to address congestion

FINANCE and Economic Opportunities MEC David Maynier has set up a task team to “urgently address congestion issues at the Port of Cape Town”.

The team has been ordered to meet within two weeks and to implement the first remedial actions within three months.

Maynier said: “The urgency of addressing the congestion issues at the Port of Cape Town was agreed by all, and a task team was nominated comprising 10 senior representatives from the entire port logistics chain.

“The task team has 10 priority issues to deal with, ranging from a shortage of cranes to traffic flows, to effective communications throughout the logistics chain. Synchronisation of working hours in the logistics chain will also be addressed.”

The move came after a meeting with key stakeholders representing the entire port logistics chain.

At the meeting, the Department of Economic Development made a presentation on the root causes of congestion, including institutional matters, port capacity, and the traffic flow of trucks carrying containers into and out of the port.

In August, truck owners who transport shipping containers to and from the port demanded a more efficient service and raised concerns about the damage done to business.

Maynier promised that the department would make it easier to do business across the province, and had already begun engaging with relevant stakeholders to address the issues.

“The stakeholder group will be reconvened at an appropriate time during 2020 to provide feedback on the progress of the task team and to expand the scope of remedial action beyond the container terminal at the Port of Cape Town,” he said.

“We are working hard to become the most competitive region in Africa, and to do that we need the most competitive port.”