Author:nick-poree

Showdown looms in the ANC corral August 24, 2022 An analysis of the Transnet financial accounts provides gloomy reading, says NICK PORÉE, who believes that the prospects for transport in South Africa look equally dismal. The recent publication of the Transnet financial accounts has revealed that the entity has incurred significant further losses in the past year totalling about R5 billion, despite the innovative accounting which revalued the outdated, deteriorated, and often unusable assets. The process echoes the issues at […]

National irrationality August 4, 2022 South Africa is experiencing an economic crisis of devastating proportions, with little evidence of rational analysis or corrective action by the ruling authorities, warns NICK PORÉE. The continual appeals and recommendations by economists, industry, social activists, and opposition parties are being rejected in defence of an outdated and dystopian ideological model. Economic policy ignores the statistical evidence of the extent of the costs, decay, and collapse of almost all government services, including municipal, railway, ports, […]

South African economy under threat July 7, 2022 Freight transport volumes are a reliable barometer of the level of economic activity in industries or countries. NICK PORÉE warns that the freight logistics industry is becoming the most visible symptom of South Africa’s unrealistic economic policies. The near collapse of railways, inefficiencies of ports, and now the rapidly escalating barriers to road freight are having negative impacts on the economy. Due to the reliance on road transport, the current activities of […]

Freedom vs freedom from competence June 1, 2022 Back in April, South Africans celebrated Freedom Day. However, the situation in which the country finds itself certainly doesn’t warrant any celebrations, warns NICK PORÉE. While we celebrated Freedom Day in South Africa, we must recognise that the politicians continually create delusions of freedom. In fact, “nothing is for Mahala”, and when it comes to the supply of goods and services, the state-owned monopolies are inefficient without the economic discipline of competition. […]

Facing up to the reality of South African logistics April 19, 2022 From deteriorating roads to chaotic ports and a failing rail network… the reality of South African logistics is anything but pretty. So says NICK PORÉE. The latest undercover gyrations in the government think-tank, hidden behind the “state of emergency”, have every likelihood of finally collapsing the economy. The Employment Equity Bill will create the same chaos in the private sector as cadre deployment has in the government. It […]

Transport regulation in South Africa: an epic fail! March 11, 2022 Commercial transport is largely unregulated in South Africa and, as NICK PORÉE points out, this is a recipe for disaster. Effective regulation of commercial transport in all modes is based on principles that provide the essential foundation to control standards of operation. The successful international regulation of shipping (via the International Maritime Organization), airlines (International Air Transport Association), and road freight (International Road Transport Union and organisations like the […]

Lost in the forest February 9, 2022 Current planning and management of the South African economy can best be described by the English idiom “they can’t see the wood for the trees”. Furthermore, it is mirrored in the Zulu expression “dukuza”, meaning “to grope about in a dark forest”. That’s according to NICK PORÉE… Why do I say this? Well, current planning has illogical objectives and unworkable processes, while senior officials appear to think that money grows on trees. The […]

SA desperately needs economic transformation of railways January 17, 2022 The freight and passenger railway systems in South Africa are in a chronic state of disorder after more than 20 years of mismanagement, malfeasance, criminal looting, and wastage. NICK PORÉE says complete economic transformation of railways is desperately needed. In the South African economic model, the private sector is responsible for managerial competence and responsibility, performance, wealth creation, and growth. The government, on the other hand, favours cadre deployment, corruption, […]

Freight logistics in crisis December 9, 2021 The establishment of a freight logistics association is essential to the survival of the freight logistics sector in South Africa. NICK PORÉE believes that there are numerous reasons why such an association is vital … The freight logistics sector of the South African and sub-Saharan African economies is continually hampered by problems caused by the actions of the authorities in various disciplines within the region’s governments. In cross-border logistics, the failure to achieve […]

Make or break for South Africa’s main logistics corridor November 10, 2021 The overall cost of logistics is a negative factor in South Africa’s global competitiveness and a barrier to regional development. NICK PORÉE has ideas about what needs to be done to fix the current mess. The importance of logistics to the South Africa economy is underscored by the fact that the logistics industries – which are described in the Statistics South Africa system as the “transport and storage […]