THE Department of Public Enterprises has announced a master plan for the Port of Durban which will seek potential private investments of R100 billion into the port over the next 10 years.
Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan said the master plan for the Port of Durban is currently undergoing consultation processes.
“The Port Master Plan will serve as a basis for investment in the port both in respect of the port infrastructure – now governed by the Transnet National Ports Authority – but also in respect of the terminals and the freight infrastructure that services these ports as well,” said Gordhan.
The announcement forms part of the broader transformation of Transnet, which the Minister described as a ‘recovery, reconstruction and reform’ plan.
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According to Gordhan, the first reform to establish Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) as an independent subsidiary is moving ahead.
“Significant progress has been made in establishing the infrastructure of the subsidiary and the kind of role it would play in relation to investments in each of the ports in order to facilitate the efficiency of the ports themselves. It is hoped that by October this year, a further Request for Information would be issued by TNPA to establish market appetite for the building of the point terminal at the Durban port and that will be a huge infrastructure investment,” he added.
The second reform is to explore the potential for investment in the Port of Durban and the Port of Ngqura in the Eastern Cape.
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“These reforms are in line with the structural reforms that the President and government have indicated will be forthcoming from Transnet but from other entities as well. It is a further demonstration of government’s commitment to continuing with the structural reforms in improving the efficiency of its logistics infrastructure,” said Gordhan.
Gordhan said information from private business will allow government to create partnerships with both local and international business.
Further engagements with interested businesses will see a round of requests for quotations open between August and September.
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