Positive signs from Maputo and Durban give me reason to hold out hope that our port woes will go the way of load shedding worries. The Port of Cape Town, however, has a particularly worrying challenge – and it’s moving at more than 100km/h. One of the biggest developments of 2025 was something that did not happen.
It’s about how we no longer fear something happening. About six blocks from my house, in the middle of a small shopping complex, is a small pool hall, known really for its long history as a bar that keeps relatively late hours. Five years ago, that was a really cool name.
It was kind of right for a small cheeky bar. And it hinted, perhaps, at some kind of back-up power supply. Something that really mattered at the time if you like your beer to be an agreeable temperature.
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But I do wonder if anyone driving past it now really thinks automatically of load shedding. The power of the joke has faded to the point where I think some kids are likely to ask their parents why they used that name. It’s a bit like the jokes during the pandemic (something no one ever wants to talk about).
They were funny then. No one cares now. I do hold out some hope that the same kind of change might happen in our ports.
Pier Two at Durban Harbour is now under the commercial control (but not the ownership) of a private operator. International Container Terminal Services has a long and established track record of making ports work. As the biggest pier in the biggest port, if it works, things could really change.
In Mozambique, where part of the port of Maputo is run by the South African firm Grindrod, there has been huge growth. That’s hugely significant.
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