Durban Port: Impact of unrest, cybersecurity hack a food crisis in the making
29 July 2021
Now that the Durban port has resumed operations, an urgent action plan by Government is required to ensure imported perishable food containers are re-routed to inland cold storage facilities, as KwaZulu Natal facilities have been severely impacted by the recent unrest. This is critical if South Africa wants to avoid chronic food shortages across the country, specifically for the poorest who rely on affordable chicken and meat products such as polony, as their primary sources of protein.
This is according to the South African Meat Processors Association (SAMPA) and the South African Association of Meat Importers & Exporters (AMIE SA).
There are currently 290 reefer containers (temperature controlled containers) which require an urgent cold storage remedy, with many more containers en route from international markets to offload at the port of Durban.
The unrest in KwaZulu-Natal, compounded by the recent cybersecurity hack on Transnet’s IT systems, which affected its operations, has created major backlogs for both exports and imports in the Durban port. As a result, the port is running short on space to store containers and running out of plug points used to keep containers cool, which will result in massive food wastage if not resolved immediately. Exacerbating the matter is that the events of the past two weeks have severely impacted key cold storage infrastructure in the province.