Transnet Group CEO Michelle Phillips says the parastatal, cracking the whip on delays in projects aimed at restoring port capacity, and showing a low tolerance for slow progress, has pushed a project at a strategic terminal to completion.
Phillips and other officials of the state-owned logistics giant announced the completion, on Wednesday, of the infrastructure expansion project at the Saldanha Iron Ore Terminal, Africa’s largest iron-ore export facility.
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the expansion, which includes three tippler units, Phillips said she had become intimately involved with the project years ago, while acting as chief executive of Transnet Port Terminals.
She half-humourously recalled various instances of cracking the whip to ensure officials responsible for projects completed them on schedule instead of repeatedly asking for deadline extensions.
“The first thing that I had to deal with relating to this project was a request for an extension. Yeah, fast forward down the line. And then I became group chief executive, and then I had to deal with another request for an extension.
“And because of the size of the project … you can see the complexity … The sheer … engineering involved. We had to take another request for an extension to the board ...
“I said: ‘Last extension, the next time there is an extension, please attach your resignation letter’. Not the way I like to lead, but guess what, here we are. When we talk about a journey, we talk about a journey.”
The expansion at Saldanha involved an investment of over R4bn to replace ageing equipment, infrastructure, and increase export capacity.
This has included a new tippler extension, a new Eskom substation, a 1.7km conveyor system, heavy-haul rail infrastructure, road bridges, conveyor tunnels, gantry cranes, dust management systems, high-mast lighting, fibre-optic and control system integration, and associated power infrastructure.
Phillips said the project formed part of a broader drive to improve equipment reliability, strengthen operational resilience and build a freight logistics system capable of meeting both current and future demands.
“The skill and complexity of this undertaking cannot be overstated. I can tell you people, I’ve heard the stories. Yesterday and in the days in the run-up to this occasion, people were testing and making sure that things were going to work.”
The chief executive of Transnet Port Terminals, Jabu Mdaki, said the commencement of testing and commissioning activities marked an important stage in a project that required extensive collaboration between all Transnet operating divisions, customers, regulators and contractors.
“As we celebrate 50 years of the Saldanha Iron Ore Terminal, it is fitting that we do so while advancing one of the most significant infrastructure investments undertaken at the terminal and positioning this strategic export corridor for the future.”
Beyond the investment itself, the project is expected to generate broader economic benefits across the iron ore export value chain, said Mdaki.
He said the installation of the new tippler units had achieved an estimated contribution of 45% in local content across various work packages, and supported about 1,500 jobs during peak construction activities.
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