Ramaphosa urged to assess challenges at CT port
THE provincial government has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa about its concerns over challenges facing the Port of Cape Town, and requested that he schedule an urgent visit to assess the challenges and the measures being put in place to address them.
Finance and Economic Opportunities MEC David Maynier said the approach to the president resulted from his recent visit to the Port of Durban, where he made a commitment to ensure that port became efficient and competitive.
Maynier said: “We are concerned that the Port of Cape Town may be de-prioritised in the overall strategy going forward, given the extensive focus on the Port of Durban.
“The ports of Durban, Richards Bay, Gqeberha and Mossel Bay are being prioritised for significant short-term infrastructure investments; however, we are concerned that the Port of Cape Town will not see any infrastructure investments in the short-term.”
Maynier said the Port of Cape Town, if leveraged to its full potential, could serve as a catalyst for economic growth and recovery for South Africa, but it continued to face multiple challenges – primarily due to inadequate maintenance and investment in equipment.
Maynier said in the 2020/21 financial year, there were about 5 064 incidents of equipment breaking down, across all three shifts at the Port of Cape Town, and this translated to about 14 breakdowns a day. “The root cause of these breakdowns is largely attributed to the equipment reaching mid-life,” said Maynier.
While in Durban, Ramaphosa said: “If the port does not function efficiently, the entire economy suffers, from importers and exporters to consumers.”