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The Port of Cape Town did not reach its targets for twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) cargo container movements in June and July, underperforming by 21.4% and 21.6% respectively. For both months, the Port loaded and unloaded around 14 000 containers less than planned.

This makes the Port much less appealing to both importers and exporters, and in turn strangles economic growth and job creation at these businesses.

Total turnaround times for vessels at the Port averaged 8.7 days in June, and 5.6 days in July, and while the improvement is encouraging, it still falls far short of the best practice target of 2 days.

This was revealed by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT) in reply to a parliamentary question.

Going forward, I will be providing a monthly update on the situation at the Port, and the Standing Committee on Finance, Economic Opportunities and Tourism will be conducting an oversight visit to the Port, to hold Transnet to account for the underperformance of the Port.

The Port has been identified as one of the key pieces of infrastructure that needs to be improved in the Western Cape Government’s Growth for Jobs Strategy, which aims to deal decisively with the unemployment crisis. A well-functioning Port will have a wide-ranging positive impact across multiple sectors and allow the private sector to create more jobs.

The Transnet National Ports Authority is another example of how the ANC-led national government’s inefficiency is holding our economy and jobs at ransom, and the DA will make every effort to ensure the Port is turned into the economic growth engine the Western Cape needs.

Issued by Cayla Murray, MPP - DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Finance, Economic Opportunities and Tourism