The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber says the new booking system which was rolled out at the Port of Port Elizabeth in October has caused extensive backlogs in shipping products to and from markets.
CEO, Denise van Huyssteen says the new system, which was intended to improve port efficiencies, has had the opposite effect, impacting upon the viability of exporters and importers who are unable to get their products transported timeously.
"A number of businesses have indicated that their customers in key markets are considering canceling their export orders if these delays continue," she says.
Van Huysteen says as part of mitigation efforts to retain export business, some businesses in the Bay are even transporting their goods via road to Walvis Bay and Maputo ports.
She says the Chamber approached Transnet in early September, appealing to them to not proceed with the roll-out of the new booking system, until such time as the issues relating to its implementation at the Durban and Cape Town ports had been resolved.
“Our recommendation is that Transnet pauses on the roll-out of the new booking system at Ngqura later this month, until such time as the issues relating to the Port Elizabeth Port system roll-out are resolved. It makes no sense to further exacerbate the problem without addressing the actual issues.”
