A recent Carte Blanche exposé on Transnet and the Port of Cape Town has faced criticism for failing to address key labour issues, despite capturing footage of concerning worker behavior—such as a port employee appearing more focused on a mobile phone than the job at hand and a crane operator leaving a container suspended mid-air.
An industry source told Freight News: “I don’t understand why Carte Blanche is so focused on the port’s equipment.”
He pointed out that the acquisition of second-hand gantry cranes was no secret and questioned why the investigative team did not take their footage to the United National Transport Union (Untu), given that the workers shown in the report were likely union members.
Performance issues among port personnel have long been a challenge, the source added, calling for a deeper investigation. When asked about the dangers of a container left hanging mid-air, he stated: “It’s extremely risky not to complete a move. I can only hope it wasn’t because the operator’s lunch break arrived.”
Considering recent weather challenges, including winds exceeding 100 kilometers per hour that severely disrupted operations, he emphasized that cargo stabilization must remain a top priority. Safe container loading and offloading procedures should always be followed, including completing each move without delay.
Despite featuring an interview with an Untu representative, the exposé seemingly missed an opportunity to scrutinize potential safety-related labour violations at the port. Instead, the focus appeared to be squarely on targeting Transnet.
