Chaos at Transnet’s Richards Bay port means one thing for the municipality’s transport department — major strain on the overtime budget.
Traffic cops in the municipality of uMhlathuze are working all hours to cope with the mayhem on the N2 and John Ross Highway caused by hundreds of coal trucks waiting to offload at the port.
The city spent its entire R4m annual overtime budget paying about 40 traffic cops a collective R1m a month in the first four months of its financial year — about R25,000 per month per officer. The traffic department has now asked the city manager for another R14m to pay overtime for the rest of the year for officers who often work more than 15 hours a day.
Municipal spokesperson Bongani Gina said: “The officers have been working tirelessly to manage the truck congestion, and their overtime has been vital in ensuring the safety and flow of traffic in the face of this growing challenge. On average, traffic officers have been receiving additional monthly overtime income that exceeds their monthly payments.
“The budget set aside for traffic officers’ overtime has depleted since July 2023, largely because of deployments at the N2 entry point into John Ross around the clock seven days a week.”
The Richards Bay Coal Terminal is one of the world’s three largest, exporting more than 75Mt of coal a year.
The municipality blames Transnet and the transport department for failing to address the queues of trucks that stretch for several kilometres.
Gina said the municipality is seeking “legal remedies” against those responsible for processing the trucks at the port, and is considering a possible surcharge for overtime costs it is incurring on “noncore” work.
City manager Nkosenye Zulu said lawyers were working on ways to compel Transnet to cover traffic officers’ overtime costs.
“Our traffic officers now have to assist in policing the N2 and the highway. Each day there would be up to 2,000 trucks all trying to go to the port. Our officers are stopping trucks from entering John Ross Highway until there is an indication from the port to say they could let maybe 50 trucks through.
“If we don’t control the number of trucks entering the highway, traffic will be at a standstill and that will inconvenience our motorists, which is what is happening now,” said Zulu.
On average, traffic officers have been receiving additional monthly overtime income that exceeds their monthly payments
— Bongani Gina
DA deputy mayor Christo Botha said the failures of the entities responsible for port logistics was putting the city under severe pressure. He said the port was no longer able to handle the influx of trucks.
“We are dealing with an epic failure of management,” he said.
This week, the Sunday Times saw hundreds of trucks occupying two lanes of the three-lane highway, while light motor vehicles used the remaining lane. At times, trucks moved to the right-hand lane, bringing traffic to a standstill.
A traffic officer who asked not to be named said he and his colleagues appreciated the extra income but worked hard for it. Another said working on the N2 and John Ross Highway was too frustrating and tiring.
“We work in shifts, and one is from midday to 10pm. When you work that shift, you end up working until 6am because there is total chaos on the roads and queuing trucks. You end up not resting because you get home by 7am and you have to eat, bath, sleep, and wake up again to prepare to be at work at midday. We are always tired,” this officer said.
Another said their salaries have virtually doubled from all the overtime they work, but the money did not compensate for the physical exhaustion. He also said it had become difficult to police traffic in the town itself.
“ For the normal policing of checking vehicle plates, driving licences and all of that, we have had to ignore it a bit. It’s a struggle to control these trucks, and there are thousands of them,” he said.
But street vendors are cashing in.
Ayine Vilakazi, 34, says she can now earn an income selling food to truck drivers stuck in the queues.
“We work from 5am to about 7pm, seven days a week. I have been working here for over six months after losing my job, and the money I get here has been supporting my family. I walk over 10km and back with a basin full of fruits, snacks, and pies.
“It’s hard. My feet always hurt, but I don’t have a choice. I need an income and the drivers are very supportive because they also spend a lot of time here and they are hungry,” she said.
The traffic congestion spurred a response from Transnet on Friday, when it issued a notice blocking further deliveries of road freight cargoes to the port.
Thulasizwe Dlamini, managing executive of Richards Bay Terminals, said the legal action the city was taking meant Transnet had “no choice but to immediately freeze all [loads] for vessels that bring in cargo via road transport” until an urgent meeting of affected parties took place on Tuesday to find a solution.
Dlamini said the port’s problems were caused by the failing rail network and increased worldwide demand for coal due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“Also in 2021, we experienced fires in the port and three of our conveyor belts were damaged, which affected the fluidity of the terminal. One of those carries 3.5Mt of coal into the terminal. The problem is broad; it’s a national problem and needs a broader stakeholder contribution,” he said. Transnet hoped to resolve the dispute with the municipality “before it gets to court”.
National transport spokesperson Collen Msibi said a draft freight logistics roadmap had been devised with plans to improve volumes transported by rail in the short term and to reform the entire logistics system in the long term.
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