South Africa exporters face protest risks to fragile port recovery

SOUTH AFRICA – Exporters in the Western Cape have warned that planned national protest action on 19 June 2026 could disrupt South Africa’s fragile supply chain recovery, with landside operations facing potential delays while waterside activities continue as planned.

The recent improvements in port performance have provided some encouragement, with Durban, Ngqura, and Port Elizabeth recording among the largest year-on-year gains globally, although South African ports continue to rank among the lower-performing internationally.

Fragile Recovery and Port Performance Context

The logistics sector has worked hard to restore confidence in South Africa’s supply chains, but that recovery remains fragile.

According to the latest World Bank Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) 2025, South African ports continue to rank among the lower-performing ports internationally and remain in a recovery phase.

However, Transnet Port Terminals has advised that waterside operations are expected to proceed as planned.

Economic Impact and Global Competitiveness

Terry Gale, EWC Chairperson, said: “The logistics sector has worked hard to restore confidence in South Africa’s supply chains, but that recovery remains fragile. Every stakeholder has a responsibility to consider the broader economic consequences of actions that disrupt trade and logistics networks. Exporters operate in highly competitive international markets where reliability and certainty are critical. Any disruption, even if temporary, can result in delays, increased costs, and reputational damage that ultimately affects South Africa’s competitiveness.”

“As a country, we can ill afford setbacks to the progress that has been achieved in recent months. South Africa’s exporters are competing for market share in a difficult global environment and depend on reliable logistics networks to honour commitments to customers around the world. Disruptions to supply chains do not only affect logistics operators, but they also affect exporters, producers, workers, and ultimately the wider economy,” said Gale.

Contingency Planning and Stakeholder Response

EWC welcomes Transnet’s efforts to prepare for potential disruptions and to minimize any impact on operations. The organization urges proactive contingency planning to protect the broader economy from the fallout of industrial action.

EWC will continue to monitor developments closely and encourage exporters to engage proactively with their logistics service providers on any contingency planning that may be required.

In the end, any disruption could lead to delays, increased costs, and reputational damage, ultimately affecting South Africa’s competitiveness in the global marketplace.

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