OPINION: Good Business Basics: Getting goods to market and people to work must be prioritised
Vijay Naidoo is the CEO of the Port Shepstone Business Forum. He writes in his personal capacity. The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication.
Transport infrastructure, whether to move goods or raw materials, or people for work or leisure is the backbone of every successful economy. This is underscored by the seniority and capability ascribed to most government ministers worldwide, who hold this portfolio.
It is no surprise then, that in this country, the lack of the appreciation of the strategic importance of transport infrastructure is reflected by incumbent Minister of Transport whose non transport related social media feeds have earned him the moniker of ‘Razzmataaz’.
He has presided over the imminent demise of the rail sector, and appears unable to solve the serious, violent issues in the road transport sector. As is the wont, the various sector powerbrokers in the taxi, and freight industries have taken full advantage of this management and oversight vacuum, and chaos, intimidation, violence and general mayhem pervades.
All forms of ‘closed shops’ exists, to preserve the lucrative hegemony of these overlords, and regular killings and the destruction of vehicles is the norm. The economic impact of this casual, indeed borderline criminal attitude by government is immense. From ports that operate at a fraction of our peers and competitor levels, to world class bulkhandling facilities like Richards Bay Coal Terminal that are unable to get close to installed capacity because the rail connections are broken, it is estimated in the billions of rand.
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While the rest of the commodity producing world are reaping the benefits of a commodity supercyle (coal, iron ore, etc.), local producers decry the inability to get product to ports to capitalize. Then we have the labour force, compelled to utilise transport sources that have no sense of customer service. From a violence prone minibus taxi industry, to public trains that operate on their own schedules devoid of customer needs (if they operate at all), the act of getting to work to put food on the table is an increasingly expensive, dangerous and uncertain one.
I have not even touched on the state of the fixed infrastructure, roads, and railways, which by themselves contribute so much to the dismal state of the transport sector, and the negative impacts on our economy. The ability to get goods to market, and people to work should be a key and pressing priority and preoccupation of the government.
Alas the importance of this has been swept up in the internal political travails of the ruling party, state capture and the general malaise of the government of the day, and is unlikely to change anytime soon.
-Vijay Naidoo is the CEO of the Port Shepstone Business Forum. He writes in his personal capacity. The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication.
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