Oct 11 (Reuters) - Staff shortages caused by an ongoing
strike over wages are impacting container and car terminals at
South Africa's Durban port, one of the busiest on the continent,
a unit of state-owned logistics firm Transnet said on Tuesday.
Transnet, which manages South Africa's freight rail network
and ports, declared force majeure last week after its workers
went on strike over a wage dispute.
In an update on its website, Transnet Port Terminals said
the strike had impacted waterside and landside operations at its
Durban port, which handles 65% of South Africa's container
volumes.
"Please be advised that operations at Pier 1, Pier 2 and
Durban RoRo Terminal have been impacted as a result of
industrial action. Appointment slots have been suspended. Please
do not dispatch trucks to the terminals until further notice,"
it said.
Piers 1 and 2 are container terminals, while the RoRo
(roll-on roll-off) terminal is used to import and export cars.
The strike could also disrupt fruit exports from Transnet's
Cape Town port just as the deciduous fruit season begins.
"Transnet is working closely with industry to ensure that
the perishable products, along with other cargo with a limited
shelf-life, are prioritised at the ports," Transnet said.
The Transnet strike is also set to worsen the mining
industry's logistics woes. Even before the strike, South
Africa's Minerals Council had projected a revenue loss of 50
billion rand ($2.76 billion) this year, compared to 35 billion
rand in 2021, as Transnet's underperformance throttles exports.
Miners Thungela Resources, Kumba Iron Ore
and Jupiter Mines have warned that the strike is likely
to impact coal, iron ore and manganese production and exports.
Transnet has said it will meet union leaders on Wednesday to
continue wage negotiations.
($1 = 18.0852 rand)
(Reporting by Nelson Banya, Editing by Helen Reid and David
Evans)