Other African countries doing well while ANC continues old games of nepotism and corruption
20 November 2023 - 16:05
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I wonder if anyone in the government can spell “infrastructure”?
The weekend saw chaos in our ports and border crossings (“Truckers urge rapid change amid Transnet chaos”, November 20). Ships take weeks to offload and thousands of containers sit offshore on ships awaiting a berth in Cape Town or Durban.
Maersk, a major freight carrier, now offloads some of its SA-bound containers in Mauritius, 3,500kms away. Despite a huge demand for our coal, the Richards Bay rail line operates well below capacity, resulting in miles of traffic jams from road coal hauliers trying to get to the terminal.
The CEO of the Road Freight Association says it is “impossible to get any rational answer from those who are responsible and accountable for securing the efficient operation if this vitally important rail link” and “reports of similar challenges relating to the Saldanha and Sishen lines are starting to appear”.
I find it embarrassing to read about other African countries doing well while our lords and masters prefer their old game of nepotism, cadre deployment and corruption while everything falls apart about their stone-deaf ears.
Bernard Benson Parklands
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
LETTER: Port chaos embarrassing
Other African countries doing well while ANC continues old games of nepotism and corruption
I wonder if anyone in the government can spell “infrastructure”?
The weekend saw chaos in our ports and border crossings (“Truckers urge rapid change amid Transnet chaos”, November 20). Ships take weeks to offload and thousands of containers sit offshore on ships awaiting a berth in Cape Town or Durban.
Maersk, a major freight carrier, now offloads some of its SA-bound containers in Mauritius, 3,500kms away. Despite a huge demand for our coal, the Richards Bay rail line operates well below capacity, resulting in miles of traffic jams from road coal hauliers trying to get to the terminal.
The CEO of the Road Freight Association says it is “impossible to get any rational answer from those who are responsible and accountable for securing the efficient operation if this vitally important rail link” and “reports of similar challenges relating to the Saldanha and Sishen lines are starting to appear”.
I find it embarrassing to read about other African countries doing well while our lords and masters prefer their old game of nepotism, cadre deployment and corruption while everything falls apart about their stone-deaf ears.
Bernard Benson
Parklands
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
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