Though Nelson Mandela Bay’s ports have purportedly seen some improvements, freight operators say conditions remain dire on the ground, with Ngqura still rated the world’s second-worst out of 403 and the Port of Port Elizabeth dropping further down in a global container performance index.
The Port of Port Elizabeth, which primarily handles agricultural and automotive containers, dropped four places to 395 on the list.
However, the World Bank’s global container port performance index (CPPI), released last week and covering 2020 to 2024, still recorded positive signs as SA’s ports defied global trends by posting some of the strongest gains.
Cape Town, ranked 400, was the most improved between 2023 and 2024.
The ports saw leaps of 240 points for Cape Town and 160 points for Ngqura, reflecting investments in cranes, warehousing and advanced systems designed to mitigate weather and operational disruptions.
The country’s busiest port, Durban, despite being at the bottom of the barrel, is modernising at a pace with new tugboats and container handling systems, and plans to integrate private-sector expertise.
The World Bank report showed that preliminary data for 2025 indicated the investments and improvements in SA had already produced measurable gains in performance.
In the previous financial year, Transnet Port Terminals (TPP) invested R3.4bn to expand capacity across its terminals, including new equipment at the Port Elizabeth and Ngqura ports.
Speaking at a TPT G20 roundtable earlier in September in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape managing executive Wandisa Vazi said they were meeting the World Bank to discuss the index because they did not believe it scored operations accurately.
“You can never say China is number one, Singapore is number two, look at you, you are number 354,” she said.
“You need to cement that to the size of terminals, then I’m competing with my peers.
“One thing we did last year was to buy the trucks that transport the cranes, 50 trucks.
“We are in the process of refurbishing all our machines.
“This is the youngest terminal [Ngqura] in the country.
“We are 15 years old, so it’s got the youngest equipment in the country.”
Vazi revealed that Ford SA and BMW SA were in talks to make the Port of Port Elizabeth their new export hub.
This would boost the Eastern Cape’s economy and cement Nelson Mandela Bay as SA’s automotive gateway.
Vazi linked this to improved growth and efficiency at the Bay’s terminals.
TPT corporate affairs executive manager Mbali Mathenjwa did not provide comment by the time of publication.
Despite the efficiency improvement, transport and logistics company owners remain frustrated.
A new booking system at the Port of Port Elizabeth was introduced in 2023, despite calls from organised business to suspend the system.
Distinctive Choice director Mornay Delport said the booking system was a logistical headache for truckers who incurred overtime costs while TPT claimed it improved efficiency.
“It’s not working for us. It just helps the port hide its inefficiencies.
“If I have 20 slots, which means only 20 trucks, I can only wait until the next hour I booked to bring in the rest of the trucks.
“Regardless of whether it’s been up since last year, you can book for 10am, but you will still wait outside by 1pm.
“Because they work 24 hours, they want us to, while our clients don’t.
“At VW or Pick n Pay, for example, they do not work at night, which means we have to make arrangements with the client to move the cargo to storage until we can get them into the terminal, which adds costs.”
At Ngqura, he said freighters were taking a knock because the port was prioritising trucks from the shipping lines.
“There is a lane only allocated to the shipping lines. They get a pass, so they do not have to wait in a queue.”
Harbour Carriers Association representative David Ferrey said they were getting squeezed out.
“If a container is being imported, it is either a carrier haul, where the shipping line will transport it when it arrives, or a merchant haul, where the agent will employ a transporter,” he said.
“We estimate that 60% of containers are merchant hauls but now shipping lines get the preferential.
“They are not incurring the costs for overtime and storage, and even in terms of the Labour Relations Act, truck drivers cannot be working a shift longer than 12 hours yet, because of that, we have drivers waiting for 16 hours.
“All the lines are overseas companies.
“All of the truck owners in Gqeberha have people subcontracted to us.
“A previously disadvantaged family that starts a micro-enterprise cannot afford this.
“They are the ones getting hit the most.”
Freight Solutions owner Philip Darne said: “The ports are an absolute f**k up, there is no other way to describe them.
“They will bankrupt us.
“[The shipping companies] are doing the full chain, from off the vessel, handling and delivering to the client, and are taking everyone else’s business in the meantime.
“My overtime bill has gone through the roof.
“They go on about all the things they are doing while we have to pay for the inefficiencies of sitting outside the port.”
Nelson Mandela Bay chief executive Denise van Huyssteen said while the index ranked SA’s ports near the bottom, it had noted operational improvements.
“This is a positive signal and we hope that this is a turning point, where performance levels will significantly improve going forward, thus helping to grow the country’s import and export trade,” she said.
“Also, we have been very encouraged by moves by Transnet to open its rail network to 11 private train operators, to boost freight volumes and economic growth.
“We hope that prior to the new booking system being rolled out at the Ngqura port, there is consultation with all the impacted role players and any potential issues are addressed in advance.”
Citrus Growers’ Association chair Hannes de Waal said TPT must follow its plan — including equipment investment, public-private partnerships and employee incentives — because it delivered results.
“We can take note of the ratings but we should not change the game plan,” he said.
“It’s not surprising they received such a low rating.
“Many ports and terminals around the world are extremely efficient but Transnet is taking the necessary steps to improve.
“They have spent a lot of money and will have to spend more to continue on this hard and rocky road that will take many years.”
De Waal said the trade disruptions caused by the US tariffs had also caused problems.
According to the report, the overall performance of ports declined in 2024 due to the Red Sea crisis, which caused a challenge, particularly on the African continent.
“South African ports, situated along the alternative Cape of Good Hope route, were directly affected as large volumes of diverted Asia-Europe trade transited past their shores,” the report said.
“This placed new demands on capacity and operational efficiency at a time when many ports worldwide experienced deteriorating performance.
“While overall CPPI scores in Sub-Saharan Africa remain constrained by structural issues and congestion, several South African ports recorded noteworthy improvements.
“[Ngqura] also improved by more than 160 index points, even as more than half of all ports worldwide saw their performance worsen during the same period.
“These improvements reflect targeted investments, operational reforms and adaptive measures to handle rerouted traffic.”
The Herald
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.