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Johannesburg - The ongoing container crisis in KwaZulu-Natal may hamper the World Cup preparations.
Hundreds of trailer trucks that carry high-cube containers with some goods for the coming World Cup soccer tournament are stranded in the province, because the containers are a mere 300mm too high, according to the country's transport regulations.
The containers hold, among other things, marketing goods and equipment for the soccer teams and international media. These items have already landed in the Durban harbour by ship, says Gavin Kelly, spokesperson for the Road Freight Association (RFA).
It is hoped that the situation will draw the attention of the national authority and government which, at this stage, have failed to react to a request sent by the RFA to President Jacob Zuma's office, the Minister of Trade and Industry, and the Minister of Transport to salvage the situation.
A planned meeting between the national Department of Transport and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport for Friday has meanwhile been postponed to January.
This haulage crisis started after the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport on November 29 began to put into effect legislation prohibiting transportation of these containers.
Trucks carrying the containers have since been impounded and fined up to R10 000.
According to the Cape Town Regional Chamber of Trade and Industry, truck drivers with these containers have also on occasion been fined in the Cape.
A moratorium was previously placed on the legislative provision restricting the travelling height of trucks to 4.3m.
The height of a trailer truck with a high-cube container is 4.6m, and South Africa has no trucks low enough to transport the containers within the legal height limit.
Five million cube containers have been transported on South Africa's national roads in the past decade.
At least 50% of all containers coming to the country's ports are high-cube containers, which are international standard ISO containers.
Interestingly enough, the height of a double-decker bus is 4.65m, but these are exempt from the legislation.
Kevin Martin, deputy chairperson of the South African Association of Freight Forwarders in KwaZulu-Natal's harbour carriers' division, says the situation may lead to a restructuring of the country's trailer-truck fleet, which could cost billions and significantly push up the costs of the logistics chain.
- Sake24.com
For more business news in Afrikaans, go to Sake24.com.