A multi-million-rand boost to Eastern Cape ports is not necessarily going to curb the rampant smuggling at Ngqura and other ports.
Transnet's recent announcement of a R23.2 billion investment in Eastern Cape ports comes amid allegations that these same ports provide a gateway for smuggling to the rest of Africa.
A multi-million-rand boost to Eastern Cape ports is not necessarily going to curb the rampant smuggling at Ngqura and other ports.
Transnet's recent announcement of a R23.2 billion investment in Eastern Cape ports comes amid allegations that these same ports provide a gateway for smuggling to the rest of Africa.
But Captain Neil Chetty, acting port manager at Ngqura, told Grocott's Mail that while the funding was in line with government job-creation initiatives and would benefit the local economy, it was unlikely that the resulting improvements would further curb the illegal activity in ports.
Coega’s Port of Ngqura, east of Port Elizabeth, has come under the spotlight in recent weeks, with police quoted in various media saying that sophisticated criminals were using the harbour to store stolen vehicles before they were moved to various African countries.
"We have a good security system," said Chetty, explaining that port management had invested millions in the port. "We cannot open all the containers that come in, so dealing with smuggling and the drug trade also needs law-enforcement and the police."
Police say international drug traffickers use this port and others along the east coast as a conduit for smuggling activities: provincial police spokesman Captain Ernest Sigobe told Grocott's Mail that luxury vehicles stolen in England were often brought illegally to South African ports for a cooling-off period, then shipped to Mozambique and Tanzania where they were exchanged for drugs. "We are not sure which drugs are being exchanged and what the value is. The investigation is still under way," said Sigobe.
According to Transnet spokesman, Mboniso Sigonyela, the State-owned enterprise plans to invest R23.2 billion in South Africa’s port system during the next five years. This will be directed towards the expansion of ports and the maintenance of infrastructure, as well as increased security measures. Of the amount, R3.1 billion has been allocated for improvements to the ports of Port Elizabeth, Ngqura and East London. Sigonyela expressed the hope that the latest investments would make the port of Ngqura fully operational by the end of the year.
Asked about the new investments and their relation to the trafficking in Ngqura, Sigonyela said security at the ports was a priority and that the ports were fully equipped with all the security and personnel expected in a modern port. “Transnet, along with other security agencies, is continually reviewing security arrangements in an effort to combat illegal activity,” Sigonyela said.
Annette Hubschle, Organised Crime and Money Laundering Programme researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, told Grocott's Mail that efforts to develop ports were commendable, but not necessarily a solution to the smuggling problem. "From an economic point of view it's great. However, if you look at the problem internationally, only 1% of containers get screened by customs at ports," she said.
Hubschle said South Africa had a long coastline that was very difficult to police. This made it challenging to completely stamp out syndicates completely. "Once you start clamping down on crime, it will move somewhere else with weaker regulation," she said.
