CT port and city sign co-operation agreement

RAY SMUTS
CAPE TOWN’s National Ports Authority has, after five years of political foxtrots of one kind or another, finally succeeded in cementing a co-operation agreement with the powers-that-be in the Mother City. All of which may augur well for better co-operation, financing and project development in the port area. Sanjay Govan, NPA’s Cape Town manager, has disclosed the port has hitherto been the only of the country’s seven commercial ports without a formal co-operation agreement with city authorities - this after five years of fruitless attempts due to ongoing political moves. Pointing to the importance of Cape Town as a port, Govan says up to 95% of container traffic is destined for the Western Cape hinterland, as opposed to 60% of Durban container cargo headed for Gauteng. To this must be added the importance of deciduous fruit exports, 95% of which moves through Cape Town, in itself highlighting the importance of the harbour, the city and the province. Chairmanship of the new Harbour City Forum will rotate on a six-monthly basis between the NPA and council, the latter first in the chair around mid-September. To Govan’s way of thinking, some aspects that need to be scrutinised are the possible integration of the Culemborg area with the port, a port master plan, environmental impact assessment studies for port development, security questions and particularly the impact of port developments on the city’s tourism initiatives.