l to r: RBCT General Manager Operations, Jabu Mdaki, Richards Bay Port Manager, Preston Khomo, TNPA COO Phyllis Difeto and CEO of RBCT Alan Waller with the awards earned at the 4th Annual Global Ports Forum Awards held in Dubai
[Durban, South Africa, 25 February 2018] South Africa’s Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) won global recognition at the 4th Annual Global Ports Forum Awards held on Thursday, 22 February 2018 at the Grand Hyatt, Dubai. The Awards featured 53 categories recognising the valuable contributions of professionals in different areas of ports and terminals.
TNPA Chief Operating Officer, Phyllis Difeto clinched the award for Woman of the Year in Ports and Terminals. The Port of Richards Bay was acknowledged as Port/Terminal of the Year – Africa, with Port Manager Preston Khomo accepting the award.
Meanwhile Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) won the category of Bulk Logistics Port / Terminal of the Year. Chief Executive Officer, Alan Waller and General Manager Operations, Jabu Mdaki, received the award on behalf of RBCT, one of the leading coal export terminals in the world.
Transnet SOC Ltd Group Chief Executive, Siyabonga Gama, clinched the Hall of Fame Award for his contribution to the global logistics industry. His award was received on his behalf by Tumelo Mokwena, Transnet Group Executive: Human Resources.
The judging panel was made up of global ports council members. The Global Ports Forum collaborates with Port Authorities around the world, bringing together members from the ports ecosystem and organising quality port related events, executive workshops and short courses. It offers an overview of emerging trends in the ports industry covering ports, harbours and terminals across the globe.
TNPA Chief Executive Shulami Qalinge said this global recognition was an affirmation of TNPA’s efforts to create world-class ports.
“South African ports owned by TNPA facilitate over 90% of South Africa’s global trade and are critical links in the shipping feeder network connecting the west and east coasts of Africa. Winning these regional awards reinforces the successes of key elements of our operating strategy, which is geared towards the reduction of ship turnaround time, vessel waiting time and cargo dwell times, as well as to the better utilisation of port assets – thereby reducing port costs,” she said.
Qalinge praised Difeto and the Port of Richards Bay for flying the TNPA flag high.
Difeto is a highly qualified advocate who has been COO of TNPA since 2014. She oversees the management of TNPA’s eight commercial ports and five portfolios including operations development, performance monitoring and reporting, capacity creation and development, joint operations centres, marine operations and ship repair operations. In winning the award, her strong work ethic and integrity were acknowledged.
The Port of Richards Bay, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2016/17, has earned other accolades recently including the Top Performance Award at the 2016 Transnet Group Chief Executive’s Awards. The port continues to exceed financial targets and surpassed benchmarks under Transnet’s Shareholder Compact with its shareholder ministry, the Department of Public Enterprises. It is South Africa’s leading port in terms of cargo volumes, handling 99.2 million tons and 2000 vessel arrivals recently.
Guest of Honour at the Awards was H. E. Mohammed Sharaf, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Economic and Trade Affairs of the United Arab Emirates and former Group Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Ports World Group.
