State-owned logistics company Transnet has been grappling with backlogs at the Port of Durban and congestion at Richards Bay.
It said in November that was due to factors including under-investment in equipment and maintenance.
It has warned that procuring some of the new equipment could take as long as 12 to 18 months.
South African fashion retailers rely heavily on imports, especially from Asia, though they have been moving production closer to home.
TFG, owner of the Foschini clothing brand, has fared better than some of its competitors.
That's after it expanded its local factories and bought new ones over the past seven years.
It said that, as a result, it had enough stock for the key December festive season.
For the upcoming southern hemisphere autumn and winter months, the company said it was taking necessary action such as ordering early and amending destination ports.
Woolworths and Truworths are also ramping up local clothes production, using local suppliers and placing orders earlier, executives said.
Woolworths CEO Roy Bagattini said the company was placing smaller orders, more frequently, to avoid having big shipments stuck at the harbor.
It's also directing ships to ports with fewer backlogs, such as Walvis Bay in Namibia, and then trucking products to Cape Town.
On Wednesday (February 28), Woolworths reported a 7.5% fall in half-year headline earnings per share as a result of cash-strapped customers reigning in spending as well as South Africa's energy and logistics problems.
