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15 August 2025 – At South Africa’s container terminals, an average of 12 424 TEUs was handled daily, down from 13 933 TEUs the previous week. Port operations were mainly constrained by adverse weather, vacant berths, as well as equipment breakdowns and shortages. Adverse weather and equipment breakdowns led to operational delays at the Port of Cape Town, while the main operational constraints in Durban were continuous equipment breakdowns and adverse weather conditions. Vacant berths and inclement weather mainly impacted operations at our Eastern Cape Ports, while minimal delays were reported at the Port of Richards Bay.
The latest reports from TFR indicate that intermittent cable theft continued on the Central Corridor this week; however, the situation appears to be improving. Additionally, TFR communicated that the annual shutdown on the line between Pretoria and Durban will commence next week, resulting in no trains moving on the line for two weeks.
World merchandise trade volumes grew strongly in Q1 2025, outperforming WTO forecasts due to pre-emptive importing ahead of US tariff hikes, with notable import surges in North America (↑13,4%, q/q) and Africa (↑5,1%). However, global container shipping rates continue to soften, with Drewry’s World Container Index down ↓5% this week and ↓55% lower than last year. Security in the Red Sea remains critical, as two more bulk carriers were sunk, prompting continued avoidance by Megamax vessels and shifting traffic patterns through the Suez Canal.
In June, international air cargo volumes decreased month-on-month at Johannesburg (↓3%) and at Cape Town (↓15%), but increased at Durban (↑13%). Year-on-year, cargo is up at all terminals (Johannesburg at ↑6%, Cape Town at ↑1%, and Durban at ↑30%) compared to 2024. Moreover, for H1 2025, the year-to-date cargo is up by ↑5% (y/y).
Domestically, June volumes dropped drastically month-on-month and year-on-year, as Johannesburg is down by ↓36% (m/m) and ↓27% (y/y), Cape Town by ↓80% (m/m) and ↓74% (y/y) and Durban by ↓8% (m/m) and ↓2% (y/y).
Operationally, several domestic aviation developments are worth noting this week, including (1) ACSA’s suspension of its security executive pending an investigation and appointment of an acting replacement, (2) the imposition of an estimated R1,5 million SACAA fine for security protocol breaches, and (3) clarification that Temu has not established local warehousing, maintaining reliance on overseas dispatch for South African air cargo.
Internationally, in the first week of July, global air cargo volumes declined by ↓3% (w/w), mainly due to reduced activity from North America over the US Independence Day, while average rates rose ↑2%. Capacity remained broadly stable, with Africa showing the strongest growth in both tonnage and rates, and global trends reflecting ongoing modal shifts and regional rebalancing.
Monthly road freight movements across the five main South African border posts are down by ↓5% (m/m) for June. Cargo movements along the N4 corridor increased slightly for both road and rail transport (noticeable so for rail, after the recent shutdown). Truck volumes through the border post were 1 622 HGVs per day (↑4%, w/w). Queue times increased to an average of 4,9 hours (↑11%) at the border due to some backlogs, as the average processing time also increased to around 4,6 hours (↑7%) per crossing. The rail to Maputo increased to an average of eight trains daily. Sugar trains from Eswatini increased to around two trains a day. Operationally, significant queues and backlogs led to a “Dry Run” use of a nearby runway as a staging area without BMA involvement (with ablutions and security in place). At the same time, on the N4 near Crocodile, periodic Stop/Go controls concluded last Thursday.
Land border crossing times decreased at South African borders while remaining primarily unchanged throughout the rest of the SADC region. Overall, the average queue time decreased by approximately half an hour from last week, while transit time also decreased by around half an hour. The median border crossing times at South African borders decreased by three-quarters of an hour, averaging ~10,5 hrs (↓6%) for the week. In contrast, the greater SADC region (excluding South African-controlled) was stable, averaging ~4,7 hrs (no change).
On average, three SADC borders took more than a day to cross last week, namely Beitbridge, Kasumbalesa (the worst affected, with an average of two days from the Zambian side), and Katima Mulilo. Other developments include (1) a power outage at Kopfontein, (2) a collision in the Musina area near Beitbridge delaying traffic, (3) the newly completed Ndola bypass in Zambia, and (4) BURS customs system issues.
In summarising this edition, the latest monthly ocean freight cargo trends have been resoundingly positive. Consolidated numbers from TNPA show that containers increased monthly by ↑8% (m/m), total bulk cargo by ↑6% and vehicles handled by ↑15%. Moreover, South Africa’s bulk cargoes are up by ↑6% year-to-date (although containers remain down by ↓4,2% and ↓4,7% versus last year and 2019 levels, respectively. Nevertheless, over the medium term, the ports industry has seen measurable improvements, including stabilised container throughput, enhanced crane productivity, and the operationalisation of critical equipment such as straddle carriers and RTGs across major terminals. These gains have been driven by coordinated interventions, improved process efficiency, and strengthened governance and planning structures. Source: www.sapma.org.za