No green light for port construction

South Africa’s ports will not resume infrastructure construction work under Level 4 of the country’s COVID-19 lockdown according to the latest list provided by the country’s government.

While there has been no indication of when the lockdown on general construction will be lifted, government-owned South African port landlord Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) says it will communicate updates as amendments to relevant government regulations are issued.

The government’s Level 4 regulations refer to reactivation only of the following construction activities:

• Civil engineering for public works projects (including water, energy and sanitation),
• Public works civil engineering and construction works,
• Road and bridge projects, including local road repairs, and
• Critical maintenance and repairs.

TNPA provides port infrastructure and marine services at the eight commercial seaports in South Africa. These ports are Richards Bay, Durban, East London, Ngqura, Port Elizabeth, Mossel Bay, Cape Town and Saldanha.