VZCZCXRO5082
RR RUEHBZ RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMA RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUEHDU #0120/01 3581142
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 241142Z DEC 09
FM AMCONSUL DURBAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1535
INFO RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUEHDU/AMCONSUL DURBAN 0917

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DURBAN 000120 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR AF/S, INR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EWWT ETRD EINV EPET PGOV SF
SUBJECT: DESPITE LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES, TRANSNET MAKES MAJOR 
INVESTMENTS TO BOOST PORT CAPACITY 
 
REF: A. 08 CAPE TOWN 5; B. 09 MAPUTO 983 
 
DURBAN 00000120  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
This cable is a collaboration between Consulate General Durban 
and Embassy Pretoria.  It is part of a series of reporting on 
regional transport infrastructure developments. 
 
¶1. (U) Summary.  South African Government-controlled transport 
logistics company Transnet launched a massive investment program 
to upgrade transport infrastructure to address capacity 
constraints and congestion.  These investments follow a 
corporate restructuring and rebranding process that was 
completed under the reign of former CEO Maria Ramos, who led the 
company from January 2004 to February 2009.  Despite challenges 
in the appointment of new permanent division executives, 
Transnet has continued with planned capital expenditure 
projects.  Projects include initiatives to increase capacity at 
the busiest sea port in Africa (Port of Durban) and to develop a 
deep-sea port to support the SAG's Coega Industrial Development 
Zone (IDZ).  The first phase of expansion at the Port of Durban 
is already completed and the Port of Ngqura began commercial 
operation in October.  The capital expenditure plan aims to 
accommodate future demand growth and to retain regional 
competitiveness as neighboring ports privatize operations and 
increase investments.  Future demand growth is built into the 
current expansion program, but leadership challenges will also 
need to be addressed to retain regional competitiveness.  The 
Coega IDZ has lost its anchor tenant due to national power 
capacity shortages, and a new anchor project is being 
considered.  End Summary. 
 
CHANGES AT TRANSNET 
 
¶2. (U) Post visited the Ports of Durban and Ngqura in July, 
September, and October to discuss progress with the Transnet 
upgrades and to promote USG maritime security initiatives. 
Transnet completed a restructuring and rebranding process in 
2007 (Ref A) and has launched a R80 billion ($10.6 billion) 
capital expenditure plan to address years of investment neglect. 
 The restructuring process was completed under the previous 
Transnet CEO Maria Ramos.  Ramos left the organization just 
prior to the April 2009 national elections and a permanent 
replacement has not been named yet.  Transnet is also 
experiencing challenges in the appointment of officials for its 
division leadership posts.  Transnet's Freight Rail (TFR) 
Division CEO Siyabonga Gama was suspended and faces internal 
disciplinary action over allegations of irregularities in 
tendering and procurement processes.  Some financial 
mismanagement of the capital expenditure program is also being 
reported in the local press. 
 
BUSIEST PORT IN AFRICA EXPANDS CAPACITY 
 
¶3. (U) Transnet is in the process of upgrading capacity at the 
busiest port in Africa at a cost of approximately R1.4 billion 
($190 million).  The Port of Durban currently has the capacity 
to accommodate 2.9 million TEUs per year and employs 1,500 staff 
on a 24-hour shift basis.  (Note: One TEU represents the cargo 
capacity of a standard intermodal container, 20 feet long and 8 
feet wide.  End Note.) Ninety-nine percent of container traffic 
at the Port of Durban is processed through the Durban Container 
Terminal or Pier One.  It is a major hub for container cargo 
from the Indian Ocean, Middle East, Far East, and Australia. 
Sixty percent of the cargo volumes are transported via roads, 
transshipments account for 27 percent of the cargo volumes, and 
the remaining 13 percent are transported by rail.  Port of 
Durban officials also noted that trade with the U.S. was 
important for the South African economy.  The U.S. is one of the 
few countries with which South Africa has a positive trade 
balance.  Six percent of the cargo exported via the Port of 
Durban in the first half of 2009 was destined for the U.S. 
market. 
 
¶4. (U) Transnet originally planned to increase capacity in 
2009-2010.  However, due to the global economic downturn, it has 
decided to increase investment incrementally to reach its 
expansion goals by 2010-2011 instead.  Phase one of expansion, 
substantially completed, entailed reconfiguration of stacking 
capacity to increase it from 1.98 million TEUs to 2.3 million. 
Security upgrades and the installation of optical character 
recognition technology are part of the overall upgrades.  The 
container scanner at the Port of Durban is being deployed at a 
temporary site until upgrades are completed. 
 
¶5. (U) Phase two will involve the relocation of non-essential 
facilities outside the port operations area utilizing the 
freed-up space inside for additional stacking.  This will 
increase capacity from 2.3 to 2.9 million TEUs.  The new 
buildings for the relocations are expected to be completed by 
 
DURBAN 00000120  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
February 2010.  An eight lane toll-like structure was 
constructed to facilitate truck staging and document processing. 
 Up to 300 trucks can be staged in this area at a time. 
 
PORT OF DURBAN STATISTICS 
 
¶6. (U) Container traffic at the Port of Durban increased six 
percent from 2007 to 2008, but decreased 13.3 percent in the 
first half of 2009 due to the global economic slowdown.  While 
cargo volumes are beginning to recover slightly in the second 
half of 2009, transshipment volumes have increased 23 percent in 
the same timeframe.  The Port of Durban processed 1.1 million 
TEUs in the first half of 2009 and transshipments represented 27 
percent of the total cargo flows.  The increase in transshipment 
volume is mainly due to the piracy threat in the Gulf of Aden, 
which has led to an increase of bunkering services and 
transshipment processing through the ports in Southern Africa 
instead of Eastern Africa. 
 
NEW DEEP-SEA PORT LAUNCHED 
 
¶7. (U) Transnet has spent nearly $500 million to develop the 
Port of Ngqura, a new deep-sea port in the Eastern Cape 
Province.  Construction began in 2002 as part of the Coega 
Industrial Development Zone (IDZ).  Commercial operations began 
on October 4.  The depth of the entrance channel depth is 18 
meters and the basin depth is 16 meters.  The Port is located in 
close proximity to many of the South Africa-based automotive 
manufacturers.  General Motors and other international companies 
have begun construction on logistics facilities at the Coega IDZ 
to take advantage of the new port.  Meanwhile, Coega IDZ anchor 
tenant Rio Tinto cancelled its aluminum smelter project at Coega 
due to power sector capacity shortfalls and price increases. 
The SAG may push the PetroSA Refinery project as a potential 
substitute anchor. 
 
¶8. (U) The new port will handle mostly container traffic. 
Transnet hopes to develop the Port of Ngqura into a container 
hub for Africa.  Two container berths are already completed and 
two more are expected to be completed by January 2010.  Two 
berths for dry bulk and break bulk cargo and one for liquid bulk 
cargo have also been completed.  A total of 32 berths have been 
identified for future port development.  Transnet is still 
developing refueling capacity at the Port of Ngqura to 
accommodate bunkering services. 
 
COMPETITION STIFF 
 
¶9. (U) Sea port infrastructure is being upgraded throughout 
Southern Africa and some neighboring countries have begun 
privatizing port operations (Ref B).  Some South Africa-based 
manufacturers have started utilizing the Port of Maputo to 
reduce overall transport logistics costs and to avoid congestion 
experienced at South African ports. 
 
COMMENT 
 
¶10. (U) South Africa's comparative advantage lies in the fact 
that Transnet also controls most of the rail infrastructure in 
the region and has better rail rolling stock capacity than its 
neighbors.  Transnet Freight Rail provides some rail stock to 
neighboring countries that do not have sufficient capacity (Ref 
B), but prioritizes for the needs of South African ports first. 
The capital expenditure plan launched by Transnet aims to 
accommodate future demand growth and retain regional 
competitiveness.  The global economic slowdown gave Transnet 
some breathing space to catch up on its capital expenditure 
programs; cargo handling capacity was a constraint in 2008. 
Leadership challenges will also need to be addressed for SA 
ports to remain competitive with others that are privatizing in 
the region. 
 
¶11. (U) Loss of the Rio Tinto aluminum smelter project at Coega 
may impact the long-term development of the Coega IDZ.  The SAG 
remains committed to the success of Coega to boost economic 
growth in a province that has historically faced difficulty 
attracting foreign investors. 
DERDERIANJ