Leading industry body now threatens to head to the courts as export costs mount
The South African deciduous fruit industry has escalated its operational engagement with South African port operator, Transnet over problems in the Port of Cape Town.
Hortgro has told its grower members that it is considering formal legal remedies due to sustained, material underperformance at the Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) since the start of the season, which continues to cause significant and measurable harm to the country’s export economy.
“Hortgro is currently quantifying the direct and indirect losses of income to producers, arising from unacceptable levels of unsound fruit in markets, discounted prices, additional expenses incurred to divert to other ports, and the forced utilisation of conventional vessels,” Hortgro said.
The problems in the port have worsened since the beginning of the stonefruit and table grape export season because of strong winds affecting the port. Wind delays are double the rate of last season. Now, with the apple and pear export season in full swing, things are coming to a head, with Hortgro seemingly saying enough is enough.
“While the industry recognises the commitment and effort of operational teams working under extremely difficult circumstances, the persistence and scale of performance failures at CTCT point to deep-seated structural weaknesses that extend beyond isolated incidents or external disruptions, such as adverse weather,” Hortgro said.
According to Hortgro, the fruit industry has engaged constructively and in good faith with Transnet and port management for many years. This includes a deliberate and disciplined commitment not to pursue media engagement while solutions were addressed internally. “Despite these efforts, productivity has not recovered to globally competitive or operationally reliable levels, despite substantial new equipment investment following more than a decade of capital underspend and readiness assurances provided ahead of the season,”
The grower organisation said the commercial consequences of this sustained underperformance are now severe, and options to recover lost income and cover additional costs are being explored.
“At the start of the 2026 deciduous fruit export season alone, the industry has already incurred direct losses exceeding R350mn, with further exposure continuing to accumulate daily as delayed vessels arrive at destination ports,” it stated.
“By Week 2 of the season, export volumes were down 9 per cent year-to-date, while inspection volumes were up 37 per cent, resulting in an abnormal build-up of approximately 1,688 containers in cold storage. This equates to an estimated R1bn in fruit inventory currently at risk, excluding additional volumes already plugged in at back-of-port facilities.”
Hortgro noted that exporters have been forced to divert volumes through alternative ports at extraordinary cost. “This includes a 140 per cent increase in shipments via Port Elizabeth, with additional transport costs exceeding R133mn. It also includes the unprecedented routing of approximately 900 reefer containers through Durban, as well as approximately 1,200 containers shipped via Walvis Bay, excluding penalties for truck standing time, additional cold storage, agent costs, and rising quality claims,” the organisation said.
It pointed out that these compounding losses are eroding exporters’ margins, destabilising rural economies, and placing South Africa’s hard-won reputation as a reliable supplier of high-quality fruit under increasing strain.
Hortgro said it is firmly of the view that the challenges at CTCT can no longer be addressed by incremental fixes or reactive crisis management. “What is required is a coordinated, transparent, and expert-led transformation programme, supported by measurable commitments, strong executive ownership, strict accountability, and private-sector operational involvement,” the organisation stated, adding that “the deciduous fruit industry remains committed to supporting a sustainable recovery at the Port of Cape Town. However, it cannot continue to absorb losses of this magnitude without a decisive and durable shift in performance”.
