Transnet has refuted allegations that its officials are to blame for the recent congestion of trucks at the Port of Richards Bay, saying it was the result of a rise in coal exports.
Truck drivers have also accused port authorities of poor processing procedures. They say the port authorities take more than 2 days to clear them, causing congestion on the highway leading to the port.
Transnet spokesperson, Moshe Motlohi says the congestion has nothing to do with the port authorities.
“The increase in the number of trucks coming to Richards Bay is as a result of us having less trains running and people are assuming therefore that with the number of trucks that are seen on the roads to the port, the country is going to run out of coal. We’re exporting more coal than the country meets. The fact of the matter is each train running removes about 450 trucks off the roads. So, the number of trucks we see here, they really don’t translate to high volumes transported.”
