South Africa’s 21-day lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19 has left the freight and logistics industry reeling. Uncertainty is the order of the day as people come to grips with what can and can’t be moved. Gavin Kelly, CEO of the Road Freight Association, said while President Cyril Ramaphosa had clearly indicated that food, medical supplies, fuel and basic goods were exempt from the lockdown, none of these commodities operated in a void.
“The only information that is currently verifiable and out there is what was stated by the President in his speech – and those were very general lockdown conditions. The exact details have not been forthcoming.” He said the RFA had been in talks with government officials to address the ambiguity, but had received no response.
“The biggest problem is that because there are other things related to the essential commodities that can be moved there is now this huge gap in the lockdown, raising the question what are you locking dow n?“ It is all good and well to say food and medicine can move, but there are major services around that – from container depots to warehousing and distribution centres – which will have to remain open.”
He said at present the information was not clear although Ramaphosa had included those involved in the production, distribution and supply of food and basic goods in the list of services excluded from the provisions of the lockdown.Mike Walwyn, a consultant for the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff ), agreed with Kelly saying answers were required from government to provide clarity sooner rather than later.
“We have been advised by Transnet that the ports will continue to operate and that all containers on vessels on route to South Africa will be discharged regardless of the content.”
Walwyn said stack capacity at the ports was already operating at 60% on a daily basis, which meant unless all the containers were moved the country’s ports would be congested within days.“It is clear from the communication from the port that cargo will be handled and that the port will be operational – albeit at a slower pace and there will be delays,” he said.
“That cargo, we have been informed, must be moved out of the Transnet terminals. The question, is what do you do with it? If it is food, medical supplies or fuel it can be delivered, but the general cargo? Will customer warehouses and depots be open to receive their goods, do they get moved to temporary storage facilities? No one really knows at this stage”
He said the general understanding was that non-essential cargo could not be handled, but that it was impossible if the port was to continue taking boxes off vessels.“Even if they are just taken to a facility and unpacked temporarily, they will have to be handled otherwise the port will become a parking lot.”
Walwyn said all food exports would continue as these were considered essential everywhere in the world at the moment.“None of these operations will come to a standstill, but we remain uncertain about the export of anything that is not food, fuel or medicine. In my opinion all exports are essential to the economy of this country.”
There were many grey areas at present, Walwyn stressed.Another concern, said Kelly, was enforcement.“It is not clear how they will enforce any of this. Are trucks going to be stopped and checked to see if the goods are essential items only? Can one move other cargo with the exempted goods? We simply don’t have answers to give industry
