Lack of continuity is a worry
THE RECENT public announcement of the resignation of Portnet m.d. Rob Childs was a piece of disturbingly inept timing.
That was the word from two senior representatives of the freight and transport industry who attended the Portnet Stakeholders Conference in Durban in the second week of the month.
A "grand presentation" of the new management structure to cope with the split-up of Portnet into port authority and port operations divisions was what gained the attention of the attendees at this conference, according to John White of Lochhead, White & Womersley and president of SAAFF (SA Association of Freight Forwarders).
"A lot of effort, thought and motivation had gone into this (new management team)," he said. "And Portnet also went to a lot of trouble to present this to the industry.
"Childs had also put a lot of his personality and judgement into preparing the new team, and we saw this as an on-going thing."
But then followed that piece of bad timing.
"At the end of this grand affair," said White, "which I must admit impressed all of us, there was the announcement of Childs' resignation. What could be more poorly timed?"
Alan Rolf, operations manager of MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company) and president of ASL (Association of Shipping Lines), agreed.
"Very disappointing," he said. "Seeing the man who intitiated the split into port authority and operations just up-and-off.
"(Saki) Macozoma, m.d. of Transnet, said this was irrevocable. Given that, one would expect the man who initiated it to see it through."
Rolf is also disturbed that there is still a continuing coming-and-going in the ranks of Portnet at all management levels.
He cited the recent, and sudden, departure of Richards Bay port manager, tied in with the Childs resignation, and adds a third move-out - that of Mac Maharaj as Minister of Transport.
"Departures at these levels disjoints the smooth working of any operation," said Rolf.
As Childs' successor has not yet been named, neither of our commentators could make any comment on the suitability of the replacement. And there are two schools of thought on just what that replacement might be.
Said White: "It's a wait-and-see situation as far as SAAFF is concerned. They should be replacing Childs, because a space for an m.d. is left on the management organogram."
But Rolf thinks differently. "We've been led to believe a position could be created above Rob Childs' position," he told FTW. "There would then be two c.e.o.s - one for each of the now-separated divisions of Portnet."
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