Transnet has brought back about 30 former workers on short contracts to help clear the backlog at the Durban Gateway Terminal, the container terminal formerly known as Pier 2, after a switch to a new terminal operating system in mid-August brought operations close to a standstill. The recall, reported by Daily Maverick on 18 October, shows that the fix is leaning on people as well as software, and it has opened a separate dispute over pay and job security.
Former workers called back on three-month contracts
According to Daily Maverick, workers displaced after ICTSI streamlined the terminal’s workforce were brought back in September to deal with the backlog. Reports put the number at around three dozen. Transnet says it sourced 30 fixed-term contract employees, on three-month contracts that run from September to November 2026. The two figures have not been reconciled.
The Southern African Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff) recorded the first uptick in waterside movements on 17 September, after the recall, according to the same report. Transnet says it did not make any permanent Transnet Port Terminals staff redundant. The workers say they lost their jobs when a downsizing was announced in November 2025.
The workers also make claims that Transnet disputes or has not confirmed. They say September salaries were not paid and that emails to management went unanswered. Transnet attributes this to administrative shortcomings and has scheduled a special payment run for 23 October. The workers further allege understaffing in the rail and waterside departments and say staff who should work in pairs now work alone. Those claims are anonymous and unverified. The contracts end on 30 November, and the workers say no extension has been discussed.
ICTSI and Durban Gateway Terminal (DGT) management give a different account of who is responsible. Their position, as reported, is that Transnet recruits, pays and seconds the contract workers to the terminal. Transnet, for its part, says the two sides each point to the other on pay.
How the system switch went wrong
The terminal moved to the Navis N4 operating system in mid-August. EWN reported on 5 October that Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said the changeover created a backlog, which bad weather in August made worse. She described the problems as teething troubles that must be resolved soon and said she saw no sign of an inherent problem with the operator.
Business Day’s Business Times reported that Transnet chair Andile Sangqu said the system did not work as it should have, and that Transnet’s role is governance, with a board seat and sign-off on capital spending, rather than day to day operations. An unnamed insider told the newspaper that the terminal underestimated the software’s complexity and engaged customers poorly. DGT chief executive Javier Lancha said the operation had stabilised and that Navis N4 was stable. Freight operators, the paper said, have had to run IT and manual systems in parallel.
Anchorage and throughput figures
The numbers vary by source and by measure. Our earlier report on the near doubling of anchorage time carried the minister’s figure of almost six days. EWN puts the average wait at about 8.3 days, against a target of 24 hours.
- In July, vessels averaged 80 hours at anchorage and 106 hours at berth, according to Sunday World. Weekly throughput then fell 26% after the mid-August cutover, and waits reached 8 to 12 days.
- Saaff data cited by Daily Maverick for 14 July to 1 October show vessels averaging about 251 hours at anchorage and 127 hours alongside, with delays of 18 to 21 days that the terminal cannot yet catch up.
- Waterside throughput rose 6% in the latest reporting week, which Saaff says is not a full recovery. Gate performance slipped to 2,111 moves in the latest 24 hours.
- The Loadstar reported on 25 August that some carriers were warning customers of delays of up to 20 days.
What importers, exporters and transporters face
The terminal handles roughly 46% of the country’s container traffic, according to Business Day and EWN, so delays reach well beyond Durban. Cargo owners wait longer for imports and exports, and ships that skip Durban add pressure to other ports. Our report on the minister’s call on ICTSI covers the early political response.
Road Freight Association chief executive Gavin Kelly told Business Day that heavy vehicles incur overheads of R5,000 to R7,000 a day from delays, and that management’s claims of recovery differ sharply from what members report. In August, Safla and the association called for a 30-day recovery compact, a public dashboard of waiting times and crane productivity, and relief for cargo owners hit by storage, demurrage or detention charges they cannot control, according to Sunday World. Short-term relief so far includes a waiver on terminal storage charges, Business Day said.
Saaff expects about 10,000 containers to be discharged through Pier 1 and Point, which Daily Maverick notes may move pressure elsewhere in Durban rather than remove it.
What each side says and what remains unknown
DGT says it is replacing its truck appointment system with a digital platform called Navigate, with no rollout date given. It outlined R737 million of near-term investment and R1.2 billion over two years. Transnet says structured customer engagements would start the week after the Daily Maverick report. Saaff says current investment in equipment and processes is insufficient and expects a 24 to 48 month equipment plan by the end of October. Creecy, who visited in early October, said the situation was not what the country wants and, according to Daily Maverick, gave the terminal about two weeks to show results.
Several things are not yet clear. It is unknown whether the contract workers will be extended past 30 November, whether September pay will arrive on 23 October, and whether the staffing and safety allegations hold up. The exact number recalled is disputed. Workers describe falling volumes while Transnet’s performance figures point the other way, and neither has been independently verified. It is also not known when Navigate will go live or how much of the backlog Pier 1 can absorb.
