'Customer worship' is the mission for SA Port Operations

Terry Hutson
TRANSNET'S CHAIRMAN Dr Bongani Khumalo placed South African Port Operations (SAPO) managers from all seven ports firmly on the spot at a workshop held in Durban last week, when he told them there was no room in the organisation for under-achievers.
Speaking to clients and the media later at a dinner held in a Durban hotel Khumalo said his challenge to SAPO management was aimed at introducing a customer focused approach to business together with an attitude of "worshipping the customer."
He said this meant introducing systems that would see ships turning round much quicker, cargo being handled more efficiently, and the introduction of a tariff structure more in keeping with global standards. Transnet was working with SAPO to put together a marketing and tariff committee to achieve this, he added.
Khumalo said that Transnet was investing over R9 billion in the transport sector including the country's ports. This included cutting edge technology to enable the ports and other transport sectors to operate efficiently in a globally competitive manner. SAPO, for example, should become second to none. Clients should have the right to expect high levels of competence and not experience delays. This meant that they should come to expect that SAPO and other Transnet companies would not let them down.
"You will see a very different organisation within three years," he promised.