How Transnet could derail South Africa's festive season

As we head into the festive season, Transnet troubles might dampen more than our holiday spirit.

Lester Kiewit speaks with Mike Walwyn, Director for Maritime Affairs at the South African Association of Freight Forwarders.

The Durban port, which handles 60% of South Africa’s container traffic, is a mess.

Broken equipment and organisational issues have left 70 000 containers sitting outside the port.

As a result, some retailers are flying in stock at a huge expense.

RELATED: How long before Transnet collapses and goes completely off the rails?

The crisis comes just in time for pre-Christmas imports to arrive.

To add insult to injury; Transnet may have to start blocking trucks from delivering cargo to the Richards Bay port due to a “logistics nightmare.”

There is only one major reason for the problem at Richards Bay, and that is because the railway line that brings coal into the port does not really work… if the railway was working it wouldn’t be happening.

Mike Walwyn, South African Association of Freight Forwarders

Listen to the interview for more.

This article first appeared on CapeTalk : How Transnet could derail South Africa's festive season

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