In a development that could frustrate the movement of critical cargo in and out of SA, a number of Transnet operations have been crippled by staff shortages and supply chain closures as a result of continued unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
The state-owned logistics company said the Durban and Richards Bay ports have been negatively affected as the "entire supply chain is closed", including the roads leading into and out of the ports. Durban port alone moves about 2.5-million tonnes of cargo a month.
On the rail side, disruptions from the unrest have caused Transnet to declare force majeure on the 688km line that links Durban and Gauteng. It is regarded as the most important general freight rail route in SA.
"Force majeure" refers to an unforeseeable event that prevents someone from fulfilling their contractual obligations.
Transnet said it had activated its business continuity plans to minimise any effect of the protests on its operations. These include establishing a 24-hour hotline to manage and respond to security-related incidents, as well as working closely with law enforcement agencies, including members of the SA National Defence Force.
Attacks on trucks on the main freeway between Durban and Johannesburg and into Richards Bay, resulting in injured drivers and burnt and looted trucks, have brought container and other movements to a halt.
Amid disruptions to public transport, both minibus taxis and buses, many of Transnet’s staff have been unable to report for work. Those who have managed to have received threatening messages to swiftly return to their communities or face the consequences.
The lack of fuel in Durban and Richards Bay after days of uncontrolled looting and arson has seen cars and trucks grind to a halt in the cities. Food supplies are running low and Transnet staff, like many others in those cities, are trying to keep their families safe, fed and medicated, a task that is quickly turning into a full-time effort.
While there is a skeleton staff at the ports of Richards Bay and Durban, there are simply not enough people to load and unload ships, move cargo around and plan operations, bringing the two harbours to a virtual standstill.
Mpumi Sithole, spokesperson for Thungela Resources, SA’s largest exporter of coal, said the Richards Bay Coal Terminal continued to operate efficiently in offloading trains coming into the terminal and loading vessels, but services at the Richards Bay port had been affected by low labour turnout, resulting in no vessel movement over the previous 24 hours.
Transnet is also a recipient of a force majeure notice issued by the SA Petroleum Refineries (Sapref), the largest refinery in Southern Africa, which on Tuesday shut its doors as a result of supply chain issues related to the unrest.
Transnet said it is deploying all its available resources to prevent commercial operations being affected by an escalation of force majeure notices across the essential supply value chain.
"The rest of our operations in other parts of the country continue to operate normally," said spokesperson Ayanda Shezi. "Transnet has a responsibility — as has been the case during this past year with the Covid-19 pandemic — to ensure that we continue to deliver on our mandate and ensure that the economy continues to function, and, most importantly, to ensure the utmost safety and wellbeing of our workforce."
The government is working with the private sector to ensure trucks carrying goods between Durban and Gauteng are in protected convoys, acting minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said on Wednesday.
The military is guarding the pipeline that moves petrol and diesel inland from Durban, she said. Referring to the disruptions at Durban and Richards Bay harbours, Ntshavheni said: "Harbours are critical infrastructure and they are being protected."
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