Johannesburg - South Africa needs efficient ports and proper railway lines to grow the local economy.
President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasised this growth in the economy while delivering the State of the National Address (Sona) in Parliament which was held at the City Hall in Cape Town.
He said over several years, the functioning of the ports had declined relative to ports in other parts of the world and on the African continent, saying that constrained economic activity.
“The agricultural sector, for example, relies heavily on efficient, well-run ports to export their produce to overseas markets. Fresh produce cannot wait for days and even weeks stuck in a terminal.
“This hurts businesses and compromises our country’s reputation as an exporter of quality fresh produce,” Ramaphosa said.
He said Transnet was addressing these challenges and was focused on improving operational efficiencies at the ports through procuring additional equipment and implementing new systems to reduce congestion.
“Transnet will ask for proposals from private partners for the Durban and Ngqura Container Terminals within the next few months, which will enable partnerships to be in place at both terminals by October 2022.
“Transnet will start the process of providing third-party access to its freight rail network from April 2022 by making slots available on the container corridor between Durban and City Deep in Gauteng,” he said.
Ramaphosa also said that Transnet had developed partnerships with the private sector to address cable theft and vandalism on the freight rail network through advanced technologies and additional security personnel.
“This collaborative effort is already showing results in reduced disruptions to rail operations.
“The poor state of passenger rail in South Africa has a direct and detrimental impact on the lives of our people.
“We are therefore working hard to rehabilitate the passenger rail network in 10 priority corridors. The Southern Line in Cape Town and the Mabopane Line in Pretoria have been re-opened to be followed by the remaining lines in the next year,” Ramaphosa said.
Political Bureau