After faithfully serving the needs of industry and citizens one gets the sense that the Port of Port Elizabeth is grappling with change. It must be hard to become the older ugly sister when compared to the spanking new, shiny Port of Nqura just across the bay?
Factor in the constant flak that the Port comes in for on an environmental level around the Manganese Ore facility and Tank Farm and one realises just why it has become distinctly ‘unsexy’ to be associated with the Port in an official capacity.
A saving grace for the ‘old port’ has always been seen as the establishment of a waterfront type development stretching from the Baakens River entrance to the ‘please move the manganese ore dumps and tank farm soon’ area.
But, cognisance must be taken of the fact that a Port, in order to survive, also needs to promote port activities that support and keep the maritime legacy alive. This could be as simple as encouraging sailing, to showcasing port activities or encouraging industry related to and supporting the maritime industry.
This could be done by taking advantage of government’s commitment to supporting local manufacturers through a range of local procurement instruments. More specifically, after the dti (in April 2014) released the sixth iteration of the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP). The document stated that the ship/boatbuilding industry is in the process of being designated for local procurement.
In a statement on Monday, the dti said that National Treasury has issued instruction notes to all departments and entities.
“This means that local procurement requirements set out in these designations and instruction notes are binding on all government departments at national, provincial and municipal level and all state entities.”
Boat-building has been identified as a strategic industry with strong and extended linkages for economic growth and employment multipliers.
“It is critical that SA retains and builds its capacity and engineering and technical capabilities to manufacture a range of ‘working’ vessels, to required global standards.
“The Operation Phakisa process which is due to conclude shortly, will also seek to ensure that government strengthens the general enabling environment, including with respect to infrastructure and services provided at ports,” said Minister Rob Davies
Government and State Owned Companies (SOCs) have spent 19 billion on working vessels since 1994 however only R900 million of the R19 billion was spent on local procurement.
“The designation of boats for local procurement is a significant step towards greater support for the industry. The designation also makes provision for the importation of components not produced in SA,” said Minister Davies.
However, the dti will be stepping up its work with boat-builders located in South Africa to ensure that further effort and conditional support measures go into increasing local manufacturing capabilities, especially with respect to components higher up the technology and value chain.
We have seen a number of smaller boats being built within the harbour, maybe the time is now for the Port Authorities to take a bold step and stake their claim?
Alan Straton
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