Author:nick-poree

Fun and Games for 2024 January 5, 2024 As South Africa says goodbye to another year, we are forced to concede that, unlike the Springboks, our transport and logistics industry did not pull off any last gasp saves. As NICK PORÉE details, the sector most certainly did not emerge as champions in 2023. Transnet showed a loss of R5.7 billion, while the National Treasury estimates that rail inefficiencies cost the economy R411 billion in 2022, and possibly even more in […]

Transport and logistics in SA: well and truly broken December 1, 2023 Massive challenges abound within South Africa’s transport and logistics sector. NICK PORÉE lists the areas requiring attention, but be warned: they are plentiful. The railway crisis continues and the government (to put it politely) has it all “baas about face” again. Government needs to hire an internationally qualified and competent railway chief executive and competent supporting managers. It does not need to deploy another board: however well qualified, […]

Rail-to-road rampage! November 7, 2023 It’s a perfect storm: poor management, idle locomotives, cable theft and ageing equipment have combined to bring Transnet to its knees, unleashing thousands of trucks on the roads. NICK PORÉE warns of dire consequences to this sorry situation… The transport and logistics crisis in South Africa is spinning into a tornado as the railway reneges on its commitments and is replaced by a surge of articulated tipper combinations transporting bulk commodities to ports and curtain […]

Conning the ship of state  September 27, 2023 There is an enormous difference between the words “conn” and “con”. If South Africa is going to prosper, it needs a captain to conn the ship of state – and not more misinformation and cons, says NICK PORÉE. A captain “conns” a ship across the seas, using knowledge and information from various sources. The word “conn” implies knowledge, situational awareness, and the ability to coordinate control of rudder, sails, propeller, and crew. […]

Logistics in crisis! July 28, 2023 The South African economy and logistics system is underperforming at zero GDP growth and there are no plans for economic growth. NICK PORÉE writes that there is merely a range of catchups to try to recover the state-owned corporations’ (SOCs’) lack of capacity caused by bad management decisions and corruption. In its excellent article, South Africa’s Anti-Growth Strategy: How poor policy and bad governance are wrecking growth, the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) […]

Are quality regulations an exercise in futility? May 31, 2023 An effective harmonised “quality regulation” system was mooted back in 2010. What has happened since then? Too little, reports NICK PORÉE. The terms of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Transport, Communications and Meteorology (PTCM) reveal an underlying 19th century philosophy of negotiated terms of trade between member states. The emphasis is on a regulatory structure to protect national interests, which are established by means of bilateral agreements […]

Transport Skills and the Challenges of the SA School System May 17, 2023 The transport and logistics systems in South Africa are facing critical challenges to future efficiency, due to the decreasing availability of technical, managerial, and operational skills, writes NICK PORÉE. The danger of the situation is aggravated by the continual expansion of the logistics sector and the increasing sophistication of the equipment and technology. The ageing population of fully qualified managers and technicians and the continual leakage of […]

Road to Rail: The Elusive Holy Grail? April 5, 2023 Once again, we’re hearing that South Africa needs to move freight from road to rail. NICK PORÉE reiterates that this strategy is severely flawed… It is apparent that the railway strategy is now being driven by the Department of Transport (DoT), although that department has yet to be formally given responsibility for Transnet. The DoT has issued a Draft Rail Private Sector Participation Framework (PSPF) in an attempt to attract […]

Strategic chaos March 9, 2023 South Africa’s transport and logistics industry is facing a challenging period of ideologically and politically induced “frictions” and obstacles to efficiency and the achievement of competitive global standards. We urgently need to decide what future we want, and how to get there, writes Nick PORÉE. The continual dilution of competence in the management of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) has now caused them to fail the country, to the detriment of all. Unemployment is the worst in […]

The Future of Freight Logistics in South Africa February 16, 2023 The history of South Africa is too often described in terms of conflicts and competition, without recognition of the cooperation between all those who enabled the creation of the most advanced society on the continent, says NICK PORÉE. The symbols of our ruling party – the wagon wheel and assegai – commemorate progress and resistance but do not promote recognition of the collaboration and efforts of the many peoples […]