The power and water industries on the continent have responded with enthusiasm to the latest call for nominations for the sixth edition of the annual African Power, Energy & Water Industry Awards that returns to Cape Town on 15 May 2019.

The African continent is full of resources and opportunities, and the economic landscape in Southern Africa is showing great promise. New industries are emerging, existing ones are growing stronger and entrepreneurship is flourishing. What does this mean for the produce industry? How can the supply chain take advantage of the benefits associated with such growth?

For the moment port activities in South Africa haven’t been particularly hampered by a shortage of containers, certainly not more than by Cape Town’s famous south easterly wind that caused a standstill of several days about three weeks ago or the municipal road closures around Durban’s container terminals the following week, but the industry is wondering how long that’s going to last.

As far back as December 2019, inefficiency at Cape Town’s port was highlighted by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism who convened a meeting at the Cape Town International Convention Centre with key stakeholders representing the entire port logistics chain, from exporters and importers, to trucking companies, the respective divisions of Transnet, Navis, SARS and shipping lines, as well as representatives from the City of Cape Town.