Port of Cape Town & Logistics
The Port of Cape Town (PoCT) is owned by Transnet National Ports Authority. It provides container, bulk, and general cargo handling services to the Western Cape and its mostly agricultural hinterland. The Port also provides ship repair services in the Western Cape maritime region and hosts local and foreign fishing fleets, passenger liners, and other recreational uses. The Victoria and Alfred (V&A) Waterfront development falls outside Port limits but complements the commercial port by providing berthing for smaller recreational and fishing vessels.
The Port container logistics chain contributed an estimated R69 billion to the GVA in the Western Cape in 2021 (8.6%) and to the creation/sustaining of 225,000 jobs. Taxes paid for these activities were almost R20 billion. The growth potential of this logistics chain has been investigated until 2026 and quantified at approximately 5% per year. Under this high-potential growth scenario, an additional 20,000 jobs can be created, and an additional R1.8 billion in tax revenue can be generated.
Fresh fruit (including table grapes, citrus, and apples) and wine are the most important exports. Imports are more varied and include motor vehicle components, clothing, textiles, footwear, and food items. The container terminals are serviced by more than seven of the largest shipping lines in the world which carry cargo on trade routes to all the destinations that import products from South Africa.
Western Cape Government is encouraging private sector participation in the PoCT container terminals to ensure that adequate capacity is available to service growing cargo volumes. The focus on the Port of Cape Town was launched in December 2019 by the Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities and consensus among major resources and port users was reached on:
- Promoting collaboration in the logistics chain;
- Seven priorities to improve container terminal and marine efficiency;
- Establishing a representative PoCT EODB task team to manage priorities; and
- Making the PoCT stakeholder workshop an annual event.
Related links
Port of Cape Town Stakeholder Engagements
The Port of Cape Town Stakeholder Engagements are held annually, bringing together representatives from across the port logistics value chain, experts in maritime transport as well as the senior leadership of Transnet.
Research Reports
Stakeholders have expressed concerns about congestion in the port logistics chain for years. The Western Cape Government shares these concerns, recognising that delays in cargo movement can significantly increase logistical costs and hinder economic growth and job creation.
To address this, the Department, along with major agencies in port logistics and primary partner Transnet, convened stakeholder workshops. These workshops focused on identifying and prioritising key interventions to improve alignment between the logistics chain capacity-particularly at container terminals and the volume of cargo in transit.
Some of the interventions required action research and root cause analyses, which were started in 2021. With valuable insights now available, we are committed to making logistics chains more fluid and efficient, driving both economic growth and job creation.
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Contact Us
For more information, please contact us at Dedat.SectorSupport@westerncape.gov.za
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