‘Ore berth to stay in Bay’

Manganese not going to Saldanha – Transnet

TRANSNET is insisting it has no plans to move its manganese export terminal from Port Elizabeth to Saldanha Bay.

This follows concerns raised in an internal memorandum by a senior Coega manager that Transnet’s delay in moving the terminal from the Port Elizabeth port to Ngqura was linked to its studies around establishing a terminal in Saldanha Bay.

The memo, which The Herald has seen, urges Coega chief executive Pepi Silinga to consider the implications of the delay and/or relocation of the terminal to Saldanha Bay and to highlight its potentially disastrous impact on the region.

There has previously been talk of the terminal being moved to Saldanha Bay.

However, following lengthy negotiations between the city’s business community, the municipality and other organisations, Transnet agreed to relocate the terminal to Ngqura. It is unclear what led to the recent memo dated January 14.

-Nwabisa Makunga