Johannesburg - The Ports Regulator of SA on Tuesday rejected the National Ports Authority's (NPA's) application for an average 18.06% increase in tariffs for the 2012/2013 tariff year.
In considering the NPA's tariff application and various submissions, comments of stakeholders and the regulatory framework, the ports regulator concluded that a 2.76% tariff increase was a reasonable increase and therefore appropriate for the 2012/2013 tariff year.
In his state of the nation address on February 9, President Jacob Zuma said that the government had also been looking at the necessity of reducing port charges, as part of decreasing the costs of doing business.
"The issue of high port charges was one of those raised sharply by the automotive sector in Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage during my performance monitoring visit to the sector last year.
"In this regard, I am pleased to announce that the port regulator and Transnet have agreed to an arrangement which will result in exporters of manufactured goods receiving a significant decrease in port charges during the coming year, equal to about R1bn in total," he said.