KwaZulu-Natal Business 2016-17 edition

INTERVIEW
Managing the
Port of Durban
Moshe Motlohi, Transnet National Ports
Authority’s Port Manager: Port of Durban,
provides an overview of the Port’s infrastructure
and economic potential.
Moshe Motlohi
BIOGRAPHY
Motlohi is a graduate of Wits
Business School's Advanced
Management Programme and
holds an Executive MBA from
Graduate School of Business at
the University of Cape Town. He
has operated in the field of logistics
for 17 years after beginning
his career in the corporate world
as an Ops trainee at South African
Breweries in 1996, where he
worked for seven years as Distribution
Manager, Warehouse
Manager and Depot Manager.
He joined Transnet Port Terminals
as Chief Ops Manager in
Port Elizabeth before being promoted
to head a more complex
operation in the Durban Container
Terminal, later heading up
their new People Transformation
and Development Unit. He was
later appointed to Head of Strategy
at Transnet Port Terminals
and Port Manager of the Port
of Durban.
How did you get to the position of Port Manager?
I am not new to the port environment and logistics space. Over the last
11 years I have held some key positions in the field of Port Operations.
I held the following positions at our sister division, Transnet Port
Terminals: Chief Operations Manager, Terminal Executive Manager,
Head of People Development and Divisional Head of Strategy. Before
that I held managerial positions with one of South Africa’s bluechip
companies, South African Breweries, where I was a Distribution
Manager, Warehouse Manager and Depot Manager.
Where do you see potential areas for growth and
expansion at the Port of Durban?
At this point the liquid bulk precinct is poised to grow, and this will
be followed by the auto sector. Containers will continue following the
shifts and performance of the country's GDP. Our ship-repair business
is reawakening and is poised to be a game-changer for the Port. Lastly,
the passenger cruiseliner business is a growing sector and it is one area
where there will be expansion.
What are the major investment drives that the Port is
promoting?
Transnet is currently in the fourth year of its Market Demand Strategy
(MDS), which aims to significantly contribute to the growth of the
South African economy. Transnet has budgeted to spend in excess of
R300-billion in capital investment over the seven years from 2012 to
2019, of which TNPA’s investment in the South African port system over
the next 10 years is estimated at around R56-billion.
The South African government’s focus on the Oceans Economy
under its Operation Phakisa initiative will be a major driver to invest
in the port system.
In terms of section 56 of the National Ports Act 12 of 2005, TNPA is
mandated to enter into agreements with companies to design, develop,
construct, maintain and operate facilities to ensure the provision of port
services. The proposed new state-of-the-art Durban cruise terminal is
one of the Section 56 initiatives that Transnet National Ports Authority
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