Gatvol Business has finally lost patience on Transnet disaster of “epic” proportions
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- Опубликовано: 26 янв 2025
- The most authentic voice of South Africa’s organised business comes from local chambers of commerce, whose membership has a high proportion of entrepreneurs and owner-managers because they rely less on government business than often too-beholden corporates. So, to really know what SA Business is thinking, there’s nobody better to listen to than Melanie Veness, who chairs the association of all SA’s chambers. She is no stranger to talking truth to power. As the long-serving CEO of the Pietermaritzburg and KZN Midlands chamber, Veness has taken on many controversial challenges, including during the July 2021 Riots when she was the voice of those hardest hit by the destruction. She is at her most feisty while explaining why businesses have ‘had it’ with Transnet, a once-efficient operation destroyed by being stuffed with incompetent and often arrogant ANC deployed cadres. Veness demands decisive action from Transnet management’s ultimate boss, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan. Here’s why. - Alec Hogg
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Timestamps
00:10 - Introductions
01:40 - Melanie Veness on how long she has been working in her current role as CEO
02:20 - On writing to a letter to Pravin Gordhan about Transnet
03:41 - Why big business has not been stepping up to the plate on this
04:27 - The problems surrounding Transnet
05:46 - How many business chambers are reliant on imports and exports
07:56 - Getting the cold shoulder from government
08:44 - On if there's a deeper agenda going on at Transnet
09:12 - Meeting Portia Derby
10:13 - On if she’s calling for the replacement of leadership
12:10 - The Filipino public private partnership
13:10 - The contents of the letter sent to Pravin Gordhan
14:26 - Why is there a reluctance to even listen
15:15 - Members are looking for alternatives
16:30 - The Mozambican ports
17:26 - On why it has taken this long to get Gatvol
17:53 - The response from Pravin Gordhan
18:23 - When is the meeting going to be held
18:35 - Conclusions
The ANC couldn't run a bath, never mind a country.
If those incompetent crooks get 5 more years, we are doomed.
How dare you say the ANC are incompetent crooks ? !!! They have proven themselves to be very competent crooks.
@@maseratifittipaldi
We are quite mad. Quite dangerous.Lethal.
Mhmhm.. private sector crooks never paid reparations nor did they give the land and all the belongings they stole and still have access to them in this day n age. I mean who are they trying to fool. Try comparing 400years of utter bull to 30years of reform and good governance. ANC inherited debt remember. The ANC achieved something and they sure as hell didnt cause no genocide. History will be hard on colonial benefactors.. and I think we know who the real crooks are as south africans. And trust me when I say next year might be the last year for this private sector. We are taking back our country and land from foreign rule. We've just about had it with these shady hypocrites. As for big business. Mxm shame 😂 no white man owns africa. Get real.
I don’t think it’s incompetence. I think it’s deliberate sabotage of the state . They are aware of what they are doing wrong , they just don’t care
Sad when incompetence is in charge. I can hear the frustration in her voice. We cannot accept incompetence!
Yet south africans do! all the time.
get rid of the ANC in 2024 one time, we will start from the bottom again.
Who takes over?
Yes, please. Any part or parties can only be better than these thieving, useless ANC
@markschrade9147 where do you live. If in Cape Town, the choice is almost obvious.
Rural SA will prevent that, unfortunately.
The fact that Portia Derby the ex - wife of Brian Molefe who bankrupted Transnet is running the show at Transnet tells it all.
🙈
Melanie is the right person to make them understand. Keep up the good work.
Businesses should reject all ANC policies like business did during apartheid.The ANC represents the complete opposite of progress.
Remember they masters at playing the race card. But any sane man can see that this is a perfect case incompetence and just failure on the part of the ANC government. Seriti is busy retrenching 600 miners because of all this. Its not the ANC cadres in BMW convoys who will be affected. Its black men and woman breadwinners, supporting atleast 16 other people with their salaries!!! Absolute nonsense!!!
Problem is : BEE makes many businesses and ANC mutually dependent on each other, through board and senior management appointments.
David show me any project that the ANC has built or even done look at the metros in this country the roads and show me which of these are a good example of what this ANC Government has changed this country to be A investment to investors who have already turned down investing in the country
if apartheid ends and the ANC takes over business will be soooo much better.
@@frankagliottisnr3657 Zero like their IQ and EQ.
Technology wise, they can't even get SASSA running proficiently, so how can they get anything else right. The ANC HAS TO GO. Trucking is big business and they would be loosing money if Transnet get involved. 30 years down the line nothing is working, health, education, electricity, now water and the list is endless. Very, very sad 😥😱
Trucking is the problem, why must are we not using rail for cargo,minerals and food? It's mind boggling. Trucks and Taxis are a terrible economic decision and creates huge problems at our borders aswell. Africa should drop there goods at the border where rail can collect it
While ANC GOVERMENT IN CONTROL NOTHING WILL HAPPEN 😢😂😂😂
100% ..
It's just beyond comprehension. What world are our ministers live in that they aren't aware of what's going on🤯😵💫
They're being paid a fortune to do nothing.
Thank goodness we have South Africans like this trying to make this country efficient and therefore improving the standard of living for South Africans generally. Please keep it up.Thank you.
This lady is 💯 correct. The Anc laziness,total inertia and complete ineptitude is palpable. Anc shy away from anything that resembles lifting a finger unless it is to steal. Then they are all aboard scrambling to get the spoils with Gordhan leading the way.
Catastrophic with incompetent minister Pravin
And he goes on, no consequences
Pravin Gordhan is one of the best Ministers in the ANC government. He has a good voice, lives in a proper mansion, has many body guards, dresses well , uses proper quality luxury transportation and eats samoosas. What more do you want from a Minister?
Nice to see a video with a straight on angle.....not a close-up nostril view (like most other podcasts). Well done.
😂😂😂
Once upon a time in land far, far away the trains ran on time and were a thing of pride. Melanie Veness keep up the good fight and I wish you success next week. Alec, Thank you for bringing the news. I can't wait to hear some good news.
What an awesome lady. Damn. She lays it out in such a clear and impactful way. Wish I could communicate like this.
We’re in situation where Transnet handles levels of cargo comparable to what was being handled in the 1900s. It’s for sure a f***ing debacle! Durban used to be the best port in Africa. We’ve gone backwards. The incompetence is mind boggling.
Seriti Coal is in the process of retrenching 600 coal miners. Despite the fact that the coal price has performed well above their $100/ton threshold. But because they cannot export their coal, they are forced to 'dispose' their coal to the local market were prices are much lower. Im not one to jump on the 'bash the ANC' wagon but its as clear as daylight that these guys are failing. What has Pravin nGordan ever gotten right? 600 job!!!!
The question I always have is, do those workers every really know why they are losing their jobs? Do they understand, or do they just go stand in the voting queue and vote the same?
Why so afraid to bash the useless ANC?
@@annsnetler6510 Firstly, I'm not afraid anything. Secondly, the ANC is not as homogeneous as u would like to believe. Hence u will probably see an ANC-DA coalition in next year's elections. There is more to the ANC than meets the eye.
Interesting discussion, I recently was given the package like many other skilled workers etc ( QC Operators, RTG Operators ) So yes many skilled and experienced workers left Durban Port in Past 2 years.. The problem is supervision and Management skills etc. The bayhead road is constantly jammed because Transnet don't want to move the cargo to Rail ( Only 8% of containers go by Rail , Rest 92% by road ), trucks can sit there for more than 24 hours, No toilets, Food etc. Staff often can not get to work because the Bayhead road is blocked both ways. The reason Mozambik is doing well is that many South africans left Transnet and started operating there where staff have to work or they fired whereas in SA, unions have a huge control on how things are done. Demand or slow work etc. Durban Port has one the most advance operating system called Navis, that automates the work , but work process is not followed.
Trucks are a border crisis aswell, it's being used as a low skill job and pushing up the price of everything.
Trucks must get off our roads regarding cargo and minerals. It will also stop cross border transport if the drop and collect goods at borders
The ministers and their cadres own the trucking companies.
Were you compelled to take the package?
From what I gather it was difficult to work suggesting you may have found yourself redundant considering diseconomies of scale?
@ntobekomkhabela3170 The problem is that HQ has a large staff compliment, whereas operations were struggling with staff shortage.
There is a reluctance to listen, because that will mean that they will have to do some work.
No one is doing as much as BizNews in bringing light to very dark areas in South Africa.
SA business is historically weak as a combined entity and has never strongly confronted any government for fear of retribution. That's not likely to change and the end result is going to be eventual collapse.
Corporate South Africa is the enemy of all South Africans. They have given nothing back to citizens who enrich them! Spineless and it's purely because the tied to the DA
Agreed. I remember when the NHI was a brain fart that came out of some MP some years ago. Already then people were asking questions that could not be answered... and yet businesses like Discovery were silent. When the bill was passed, suddenly the CEO of Discovery Medical STILL denied that the NHI will have a negative impact on the PEOPLE of SA... I would like to know what job this CEO of Discovery would get in the government when the NHI will make Discovery Medical essentially illegal. Big business has their heads up the ANC's a$$ and it makes one wonder... what are they getting from the government?
Please investigate who owns the bulk of the trucking companies and all will be clear as glass.
🍻👍🍻👍🍻👍
Everyone is so shocked when everything becomes a shit show when the ANC is in charge. Why?
Greed, exploitation, indifference, extortion - we are reaping no less than what we have not invested in our nation. The humbling whirlwind storm is inevitable.
The government is not committed to the country.
Thank you Mel, we hope and trust that there is break through
Service levels have gone to the dogs, no matter what the type of business. And during Covid, it was obviously blamed. Now, everyone is just blaming load shedding, whether it is on Level 2 or 6.
Apologetic, accountability, mortified, those are words that unfortunately do not exist in the Government vocabulary.
That is unfortunately what cadre deployment does to an economy. The cadres care about themselves and don't care a hoot for anyone else.
Well said !
Great interview. Looking forward to the feedback!
Let's forget that the public sector has been a dumping ground for corrupt and inept cadres for decades. These people wouldn't last a day in the private sector. Furthermore, the ANC's deployment committee and BBBEE policies have directly facilitated the rot in government and our once prized SOEs.
Is this anc doing this deliberate to destroy everything or are they just living in another planet???
They are inherently corrupt, and couldn't care less about the state of this country.
None of them have any conscience.
And RET & left wing still blame wmc for the issues in SOE's.
Time to quit conspiracies, suspicions and exercise discretion in discerning realities.
Chambers of business have a big awareness & educational outreach to attend to.
It's deliberate. Everything points to that. They refuse to implement the reform needed as those come with tradeoffs that won't suit their demogoguery/agenda. They just double down on all the wrong choices. We have to prepare for chaos.
They are protecting the road freight instead of fixing Transnet, because the cadres including Ramaphosa now have large fleets of trucks on the road....so she is protecting her cadre, they always come first. I wish Melanie the best of luck in discussing theses issues with these dimwits..
One of the yardsticks by which one gauges the ability and competence of a government is its ability to run a railway. They have destroyed everything that worked well.
I don't understand how business in this country has taken 15 years to run out of patience! Why are big business not getting together and making threats and holding the government to task on all these failures and disasters?????
Greed, exploitation, indifference, extortion - we are reaping no less than what we have not invested in our nation. The humbling whirlwind storm is inevitable.
ANC IQ level sorry
Ah geez I had a big smile on my face after listening to this.I worked in all sectors of transnet since 1980 and we were never appreciated.I did parcels ,opened the rail terminal in the harbour, long distance containers and local,bus service to jhb dbn Namibia, then on to port of Cape town -- we did 900 containers a day with a 100 and some odd vehicles all the while I completed my Dip in road transport with RAU. The only way is to privatise the ports.Broken Briskars or straddle carrier s
Are caused by staff who do not want to work ,bad maintenance and equipment abuse.This BS of booking a place to collect a container is a load of nonsense. Give the old harbour to the private sector and then we can compare.I then went on to start my own transport business and I never looked back -- all 2nd hand vehicles AND I did most of the maintenance myself.I did work for Eskom ,Transnet ,BMW and many private co.
Miss Melanie. To solve these issues the TOTAL abolishment of BBBEE must be paramount , the simple way to get this done is for all business to with hold taxes , you are absolutely correct THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE ,
I think Portia Derby must be required to make her qualification credentials public, because clearly she isn't competent nor qualified to run a bath.
Business needs to be act collectively with your chambers, and STOP the destruction of my beloved country. GATVOL is putting it mildly.
Why is placing tax moneys in escrow not a bigger thing? Why isn't it the biggest thing in SA right now? Business and individuals have got to snooker these *holes somehow. It's not like the government can take the whole of SA's citizenry to court. Pick a day, soon, name it, tell everyone, start! Citizens need a chokehold on government, not the other way around.
Lucrative road transport tenders and accompanying corruption.
Maybe if you withhold your taxes Pravin will jump.
Make Melanie the minister of transport.
This lady needs to train teach and mentor these fools running our countries economy into the ground
There was a time where Africa was 10 to 20 years behind the world..we probably 50 years behind the world. Behind Systems and business are humans. 🙄🤦♀️🤷♀️
more and more people in these positions must start speaking up! It must become a tsunami that can't be ignored any longer.Also the people of this country must stand up and say: enough is enough !!!
Good luck!! Madness we all got to vote 🗳️ boy!! ANC clearly the wrong guys to be leading SA
We are a world class basket case with a shame proof leadership. In my culture 'deploying a cadre' is what you do on the toilet. Well done ANC.
Melanie, my heart cries for you. I grew up in Rhodesia and you should see it now. Good luck, but success will only follow whitey which is why Mocambique ports work.
Does anyone think that the Eskom problems would not be at Transnet? Transnet's failures are a carbon copy of Eskom, just like all the other SOC's!
Why do we handle all these disasters with such soft responses?
Correction! You MAY dictate to our politicians. They are supposed to serve as public servants. Our attitude of subversiveness and narrative should change in order to influence responses. As opposed to accepting deflection of responsibility. Recommendations should become demands. With alternative consequences being levied.
Pravin Gordhan needs to retire! We need Younger people with " get up n go",Finesse,hardworking people,who has the Energy".......It's imperative.We drowning in this whirlpool!!!😮😮😮😮😮😮😮
Big business is as spineless as the ANC is corrupt. Thank goodness for people like Melanie.
Totally agree. Well said indeed. This government doesn't care to make SA efficient. This kind of congestion happens at airports cargo as well.
Phew ...oh Lord. Greed, exploitation, indifference, extortion - we are reaping no less than what we have not invested in our nation. The humbling whirlwind storm is inevitable.
Its so simple. The cadre's all own the trucking companies, that is mos how it works..
Yup, everything they touch they break
Nohting is stopping businesses from creating their own Transnet...except investment...
Why is ANC allowed to be in power? This regime needs to be toppled
The cold shoulder is their defence against the most horrifying exposure. Crime is rife.
Thank you,
I live in Nelspruit and travel to komatipoort and sometimes into Moz thru the Lebombo border post. The tipper coal trucks used to bank up to komatipoort now they bank up to Hectorspruit. Hectic! Rail cd easily solve this problem. We are now talking about kilometers of trucks backing up.
What Transnet?!!! Haven't seen a train in the EC for years!!
Well said
these were all functional and in the best operation possible!! management is the only problem
Its really a disgrace for the Countries economy to survive without reliable transport services.
Come to the staff and talk to the, find out the real problems that are happening, leadership will tell you what their lakkies tell them, they never come to the roots to talk to us. Another interesting fact there is no incentives for staff to work, it was all taken away! So moral is at its lowest, we also had a brain drain lately, where they were replaced by people who know absolutely nothing!! Have a meeting with staff without the unions present, you will hear a completely different story to what leadership is telling you!
Didn’t have a problem loading that Russian ship did they?
The real problem lies with the Anc hierarchy sitting behind the scenes.
We having a Mountain of problems,especially from Government Departments.It's a Disaster!!! Arrogant people don't have Wisdom.....They need to step aside.Billions of taxpayers money wasted!!!😮😮😮😮😮😮😮
No!No! Our country is in a mess a real mess,we got politicians that say..we on a right track we made improvements,i ask myself where is this improvements,maybe I'm blind,fellow south africans do u know why is south Africa is going backwards...coz we appoint people of a certain colour (no experience,not have the papers 4 the job)but coz of his colour he/she must get the job,even if he/she doesn't have even matric😮😮that is the coz of South Africa problem & if our government keep on with this,our country will go down to the gutters thanku
Surely one can't expect unskilled people to run a rail network. I would think that running a rail network, or electrical grid takes skilled people who have learnt their trade over the years and are capable of foresight and forward planning! Therein lies the problem. Competence should be the byword, the individuals down to grass roots must realize that the role they play in developing their country is critical!
Engineers have for a long time been overlooked at SoE's, and for as long as this continues things will get worse.
How about the long EIA processes that delays the kick off on big processes.
Transnet's problem is huge. I stay in Boksburg and have seen that all that remains of the Boksburg East railway station are its brick walls. Everything else has been stolen. All of the overhead power cables as well most the supports that hold them up of the railway line that is situated outside the OR Tambo Hospital in Boksburg have been stolen. Are trains between Springs and Johannesburg still running? The railway lines go through Boksburg East, Boksburg, Germiston, President stations. As I mentioned above the railway line power cables between Boksburg East and Boksburg have been stolen. The roads in Boksburg are full of pot holes due to trucks and other heavy vehicles on our roads transporting freight that should be sent by rail. Transnet has let down the poor citizens that rely on trains to get to and from work.
South Africa is NOT KNOWN FOR SERVICE !!!! Sadly. It is the African continent Legacy : Zero Service !
Do not expect "rapid" solutions or action. No matter how deep in the smelly stuff our country is and getting to day by day. Remember........elections around the corner. Also I believe the malaise of cadre deployment will be more "permanent" than Table Mountain.
Alec everything practically is imported. Our fresh produce industry is badly affected. Well done on exposure on the inertia of ports and customs. DBN port is shocking
BizNews - I have the utmost respect for you guys, and for those relentless trying to change things - but when is enough enough- the mindset and dynamics of any and all government run organizations is shocking and baring a miracle I don’t see it changing- the decline and collapse has been constant now for the last 13 years. And I think we still on the way down - am shocked at the decline in the last 24 months - thought we had bottomed out around 2020
A comparison could be made between the ANC administering the country and children administering a creche. They just don't have the necessary experience, qualifications or aptitude.
The comparison differs as children are not corrupt.
Everything is falling apart.the old south africa was brilliant.
For 'Cadres' please read 'Comraids' - because that is just what they do.😡🤬
Banana Republic
Why is business not asking for the Minister removal????
The reason why we are not using systems in this day and age is because we don't have the physical power to keep the computers running, also those systems will be designed so badly that they will be open to hacking. I doubt that there is anyone that even knows what is required to build such systems, not to mention the corruption of such a tender (should someone even think of something like that). Experience from SAPS, it was reported that Service Providers had to switch off their systems as a result of non-payment (I think it was the system that records and monitors guns and ammunition in the SAPS as well as the forensic and chain of evidence system... nothing too serious... apparently). Any form if "technology" will be stolen or destroyed by theft or fire.
Gordhan is the PROBLEM
The governments arrogance fed by lazyness and incapability is South Africa's downfall!.dries
Comes to you from the Absolutely No Clue party
Apart from a very important subject being intelligently discussed how great Not to see hands flapping around!
Articulate and knowledgable people dont need to wave their hands around to get the message across.
How many people can robin island take...just saying
Shipping lines will use the new port in Walvis Bay and Maputo
Privatization is the only option for harbors and rail
Right so when they ensure that energy costs come down drastically as the fuel price should it's a no brainer. They won't and it's not there intentions too, that's why it hasn't happened yet
Does gov even want spoornet up + running, or are they just going through the motions en route to whatever their agenda is?
In my opinion we need local decentralised political discussion. We maybe understand the conceptual ideas of a party on a national level i.e. we know the 1 or 2 political leaders and 1 or 2 things that they stand for. Yet at municipal level we don’t have an idea of the players, their vision or commitment to bringing change. We need a municipality pot cast to inform and educate voters as to how to best vote
Compared to Zimbabwe and Nigeria I think we still good. For now.
When u need a heart transplant you go to a specialist heart surgeon. I question why would you call on a pharmacist (Pravin) to help resolve a logistics and power crisis in South Africa? 😂
Private ports ...no more comrade involvement ...
The government needs to deploy the SA army to protect the rail network.
For example the Social Grant
R1700.00 = R20 400 per year, [Cyril Ramaphosa R4 239 560.00 - Social Grant R20 400 = Cyril Ramaphosa R4 219,160,00] Ramaphosa could out of his own salary BUT! he does not care about the people, all he wants is their vote. Disgraceful.
Hopeless government, ANC government couldn’t organise a pissup in a brewery without a total failure.
This country is done for under the ANC leadership. Private Sector needs to take their business to other African countries that are easier to invest and operate in. SA is not a good investment destination anymore.
Preaching to the converted. The Government doesn't care. If they did, we wouldn't be here in our economy
Cadre deployment explained: Sideline qualified, competent individuals, and hire cadres who will ensure that looting is the only business of the day.