The latest container movement data shows that South Africas ports may be shifting from the usual polecats of the maritime trade to punching well above their weight.
A statement released by the South African Association of Freight Forwarders Saaff said the Cargo Movement Update CMU it compiled along with Business Unity SA had recorded consecutive increases in throughput for the last two-week measurements in June.
According to the CMUs for June 22 and 29, locals ports handled over 97 000 and 87000 twenty-foot equivalent units TEUs respectively.
These figures heralded concurrent increases of 13 and 2 above target, Saaff said.
Moreover, this last weekend again saw daily TEU throughput across major ports surge significantly, the association added.
Consolidated performance data shows an average of 16359 containers handled per day on Saturday and Sunday up markedly from the previous recent benchmarks, said Dr Jacob van Rensburg, head of Research and Development at Saaff.
Further encouragement comes from the fact that the load has been shared across the board including the smaller and multi-purpose terminals not dedicated to containerised cargo epitomising a team effort.
Van Rensburg said the figures underscored the steady progress being made at the countrys ports, where urgency through the procurement and commission of equipment seemed to be turning a throughput corner.
Speaking after last weeks resounding victory of the Springboks over the Barbarians, he said: It adds to a weekend already filled with national pride.
The Saaff statement commended Transnet for its latest performance, describing it as a standout weekend for South Africa.
Chief executive for the association, Dr Juanita Maree, who also sits on the National Logistics Crisis Committee, said: We are seeing meaningful progress and renewed operational capacity from Transnet.
The hard work across the board by all involved from Transnet Port Terminals to logistics partners combined with the deployment of new equipment, improved cargo evacuation processes.
She said there was a strong cross-collaborative approach under way that was finding traction through terminal refurbishments.
Saaff also said the positive impact was echoed in broader economic signals.
The South African Reserve Banks Quarterly Bulletin,released on Thursday, reported R11.7 billion in foreign direct investment inflows a notable increase from the R7.5 billion recorded for the previous quarter.
Moreover, the South African Revenue Service on Monday released the latest trade statistics, noting that South Africa recorded a preliminary trade balance surplus of R21.7 billion in May 2025.
It supported positive sentiments that the economy was picking up speed after a rather subdued start to the year, said Saaff.
Continued focus on performance improvement within the national logistics network will go a long way in boosting global investor confidence in South Africas markets, Maree added.
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