Offering an alternative to congested Durban
ALAN PEAT
THE ONLY full-scale operation in the Messina area serving the warehousing and distribution needs of cargo owners moving consignments over the nearby Beit Bridge border crossing is the proud claim of Mac Messina Associated Freight Services, a subsidiary in the Mac Messina Associated Carriers group.
“We have a 5 800m2 bonded warehouse with full office facilities,” said Mac Messina GM Johan Venter, “with both road and rail access.
“For what we ourselves cannot handle by road, we have 300 sub-contractors able to move cargoes around the southern African region. The rail option is served by two main lines and six sidings.”
Internal movement in the warehouse is serviced by two forklift trucks, and it has a comprehensive security system in place, he added, while the whole property is seven hectares in area - with full capacity for the safe storage of containers and parking road transport vehicles.
“Because of the high traffic and congestion at the Port of Durban, we are currently negotiating with a number of people for us to bring overborder-bound containerised cargoes to our Messina facility for unpack, re-pack and onward transport.
“Effectively this provides an “inland harbour” for cargo distribution throughout the southern African region.”
The main products of note on Mac Messina’s stock control records are beans, maize, steel (both coils and steel plate) and containers.
“This is all for overland re-distribution to African destinations,” said Venter, “with the primary of these being Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe.”
A major exercise of the moment, he added, has been the bagging and distribution of maize - part of the World Food Programme’s aid to food-stricken countries in the sub-Saharan region.
“This has been running at about 800-tons a day, a busy operation in its own right.”
Mac Messina also has a warehousing and distribution facility in Ellisras - running cargoes about 30-days a month into Botswana.
