Andre Klynsmith

Ports and Terminals

South Africa's Container Terminals Roar Back: A 46% Throughput Jump — and the Border Bill That Is Eating the Gains

South African container terminals have posted one of their sharpest weekly recoveries of 2026, with average daily throughput rising 46% to 8,833 TEUs — but cross-border delays are still costing the regional freight industry close to half a billion rand a week.

Ports and Terminals

11 June 2026 • 4 min read

The latest SAAFF/BUSA Cargo Movement Update shows South Africa's container terminals firing on more cylinders than they have in months. Ngqura jumped 70% in a single week. But the same report puts the indirect cost of border delays at R489 million for the week — proof that the port recovery only pays off if the corridors behind the ports keep up.

A Broad-Based Terminal Recovery

Total container volumes across South Africa's terminals rose to 61,829 TEUs for the week covered by the update, with average daily throughput of 8,833 TEUs — a 46% week-on-week improvement. Crucially, the gains were not concentrated at a single port. Ngqura Container Terminal averaged 2,780 TEUs a day, up 70%, while Cape Town Container Terminal lifted volumes 39% to 2,146 TEUs a day. Port Elizabeth Container Terminal rose 58% and Durban Pier 1 added 15%.

The improvement came despite weather disruptions and persistent landside pressure. Durban's Bayhead Road remained heavily congested at peak hours, and Durban Gateway Terminal saw estimated waterside throughput decline about 18% — a reminder that the recovery is real but uneven, and that landside bottlenecks can still strangle waterside gains.

The Corridors Tell a Different Story

While terminal numbers improved, border performance was mixed. Median crossing times at South African-controlled borders worsened to about 10.4 hours. The broader SADC picture improved to roughly 5.9 hours — but Kasumbalesa and Chirundu remained the painful exceptions, with crossings exceeding a full day. At Kasumbalesa, scanning bottlenecks at Kanyaka on the DRC side pushed the northbound queue to 40km, with trucks taking around two and a half days to cross from the Zambian side.

There were bright spots. On the Maputo Corridor, Lebombo handled 1,542 heavy-goods vehicles a day, up 5%, while queue times fell 10% to about 3.7 hours and processing times dropped 17%. Rail also contributed: container volumes on the ConCor line out of Durban rose 25% week on week to 2,955 containers.

Why Predictability Matters More Than Peaks

A single strong week does not make a recovery, and the report itself projected a softer 7,807 TEUs a day for the following week. The deeper signal for operators is that South Africa's port system can deliver competitive throughput when weather, equipment and landside flows align — and that the binding constraint on regional trade is increasingly the corridor, not the quay.

For cargo owners weighing Durban, Ngqura, Cape Town, Maputo or Walvis Bay, the calculation now runs gate-to-gate, not berth-to-berth. A port that works but feeds a 40km border queue still destroys margin — and the weekly R489 million indirect cost is ultimately paid by transporters, shippers and consumers across the region.

About the Author
	Andre Klynsmith Entrepreneur & Technology Enthusiast Andre's expertise spans technology, blockchain, transport, and logistics — with a passion for innovation and driving positive change across industries. info@laaimylorrie.com | laaimylorrie.com