Maritime ports are the arteries of global trade, and in South Africa, they carry the lifeblood of the national economy.
By Gugu Nyanda, health and public service lead at Accenture, Africa
The country’s state-owned logistics company’s recent investment in a new fleet of straddle carriers, rubber-tyred gantry cranes and other port equipment as part of executing the Recovery Plan in Durban, was a significant step towards optimising the performance of the country’s ports for the benefit of the broader economy.
Yet, despite their strategic importance, the country’s ports have long grappled with inefficiencies, operational backlogs, and deteriorating infrastructure – challenges that continue to hamper competitiveness on the global stage.
The World Bank’s 2024 Container Port Performance Index paints a sobering picture: among 405 ports assessed worldwide, South Africa’s major ports like Durban, Cape Town, and Gqeberha rank near the bottom. This is no longer just a logistical concern; it’s a national economic imperative demanding urgent, modern solutions. And the most promising path forward lies in digital transformation.
The acceleration of port digitisation isn’t about a race to adopt flashy new tech. Rather, it’s a strategic shift towards resilience, efficiency, and collaboration in an increasingly complex trade environment. Across the globe, leading ports are reimagining operations by leveraging cloud computing, AI, integrated data platforms, and smart infrastructure.
The goal is clear: to move goods faster, safer, and more sustainably. For South Africa, the lessons from these ports offer a blueprint to modernise its own maritime infrastructure in ways that stimulate economic growth, improve investor confidence, and unlock job opportunities.
Three key strategies can steer this transformation. First, fostering ecosystem collaboration is essential. South Africa’s ports operate in fragmented silos – terminal operators, customs, logistics providers, and shipping lines often work in isolation, with limited visibility across the value chain. This not only causes delays but fuels inefficiencies at every stage. The introduction of a unified, digital coordination platforms could facilitate real-time data sharing among key stakeholders. This would enable better vessel scheduling, smoother cargo handling, and quicker customs clearance.
Encouragingly, the local ports authority has taken initial steps toward digitisation, including the launch of a new e-commerce platform in 2024 aimed at improving service requests and documentation processing. But more systemic, integrated collaboration is needed.
Port authorities must lead by building trust between players, designing business cases that align with each stakeholder’s goals, and investing in the digital infrastructure that makes secure data sharing possible.
Second, no digital transition will succeed without the people who operate the ports. Modernisation is as much about cultural transformation as it is about technology. South Africa’s port workforce—ranging from crane operators and logistics coordinators to security personnel and customs agents – needs to be brought into the process from the start.
The fear of automation displacing jobs is real, particularly in a country already grappling with high unemployment. But technology doesn’t have to replace workers – it can enable safer, more skilled jobs.
In Singapore, collaborative efforts between government, industry and academia have resulted in a maritime workforce strategy focused on re-skilling, youth development and new career pathways. South Africa should consider similar models.
Partnerships with TVET colleges, universities, and maritime training centres can help equip workers with the digital literacy and technical skills needed to thrive in a modern port environment. Digital platforms should be introduced alongside structured training programmes that emphasise inclusion, career growth, and job security.
The third strategy is building a long-term, scalable digital vision. South Africa’s ports can’t afford to approach digitisation as a once-off intervention. The digital core – a combination of cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, AI, and real-time data systems – must be seen as the backbone of future-proof port operations. This foundation should not only support short-term wins, like digital gate access or automated scheduling, but also enable ongoing reinvention.
For example, real-time tracking of truck movements using AI can drastically reduce congestion and emissions at port entrances – an issue that almost brought Richards Bay port to halt some time ago and continues to plague Durban.
Equally, embedding advanced analytics in infrastructure planning could help prevent cost overruns and delays in critical projects like the Durban Container Terminal Pier 2 expansion.
Global innovation hubs offer an interesting model. By creating safe test environments for new technologies – whether it’s drone inspections, smart cranes, or blockchain-led customs systems – ports can lower risk while accelerating learning.
In South Africa, establishing a similar innovation precinct within one of the major ports could foster public-private collaboration and attract international maritime tech investors.
The reality is that global shipping is becoming more complex. The rise of mega-vessels, new decarbonisation requirements, and heightened geopolitical tensions have all reshaped the maritime landscape. If South Africa’s ports continue to lag behind, the knock-on effects will be felt across every sector of the economy – from manufacturing and mining to retail and agriculture.
Conversely, ports that embrace digitisation can catalyse growth, reduce costs, and position the country as a serious trade partner in Africa and beyond.
Progress is underway, but urgency remains. South Africa’s recently announced Freight Logistics Roadmap 2050 signals political will to reform the sector, with clear priorities on infrastructure upgrades, private sector participation, and governance. Yet digital transformation must be elevated as a core enabler of these objectives, not a peripheral add-on.
As the country eyes its role in free trade initiatives, the competitiveness of its ports will be a key litmus test.
Modern ports are no longer just points of arrival and departure—they are dynamic ecosystems of data, innovation, and collaboration. For South Africa to truly revitalise its maritime trade infrastructure, it must anchor its port strategy in digital transformation. Doing so won’t just address today’s inefficiencies; it will build the foundation for long-term prosperity and global relevance.