July 06, 2026 By: Gugu Myeni
Gate Zero truck staging facility, processing close to 1 000 trucks daily amid efforts to reduce congestion
Awaiting the operation of Eyamakhosi truck stop along the John Ross highway, the Gate Zero staging site at the Eco-Junction continues to process hundreds of cargo-laden trucks destined for the Port of Richards Bay.
This is amid a cloud of criticism over the facility’s operations and costs relating to the staging trucks.
The facility, which receives close to 1 000 trucks daily, has been doing the heavy lifting to reduce long queues of trucks on the N2 and the John Ross highway.
MTV Property Group, which owns the facility, stepped in as a temporary measure in December 2024 to help address heavy cargo congestion, which had become a daily nightmare for commuters in the City of uMhlathuze.
“Before Gate Zero began managing the flow of trucks into the city, the situation had reached breaking point,” said MTV Group’s Michael Cooper.
“The slow processing of trucks at the port created an extremely dangerous environment for local road users and caused extensive damage to municipal roads.
“Adding insult to injury, the cost of repairing this damage fell unfairly on local residents through municipal funds, despite the port being a national entity.”
Cooper said it was through the intervention of the late Deputy Mayor Christo Botha, ‘who recognised that no single party could solve this alone’.
Awaiting the operation of Eyamakhosi truck stop along the John Ross highway, the Gate Zero staging site at the Eco-Junction continues to process hundreds of cargo-laden trucks destined for the Port of Richards Bay.
This is amid a cloud of criticism over the facility’s operations and costs relating to the staging trucks.
The facility, which receives close to 1 000 trucks daily, has been doing the heavy lifting to reduce long queues of trucks on the N2 and the John Ross highway.
MTV Property Group, which owns the facility, stepped in as a temporary measure in December 2024 to help address heavy cargo congestion, which had become a daily nightmare for commuters in the City of uMhlathuze.
“Before Gate Zero began managing the flow of trucks into the city, the situation had reached breaking point,” said MTV Group’s Michael Cooper.
“The slow processing of trucks at the port created an extremely dangerous environment for local road users and caused extensive damage to municipal roads.
“Adding insult to injury, the cost of repairing this damage fell unfairly on local residents through municipal funds, despite the port being a national entity.”
Cooper said it was through the intervention of the late Deputy Mayor Christo Botha, ‘who recognised that no single party could solve this alone’.
5 Jun 2025 - By Ed Richardson
Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has opened the gates to private sector investment in Richards Bay. This comes nearly 50 years after the establishment of South Africa’s only privately owned and operated terminal, the Richards Bay Coal Terminal. Owned by a consortium of coal miners and coal logistics companies, the terminal was established in 1976 with a capacity of 12 million tons a year.
Grindrod, which operates the Navitrade coal terminal, will now be developing a container facility through a joint venture with Eyamakhosi Resources.The granting of a 25-year lease by TNPA has resulted in an initial R285 million investment to develop and operate a container quay at the port’s Bayvue precinct, boosting capacity from 50 000 TEUs a year to 200 000 TEUs by 2028. “The partnership reflects Transnet’s ongoing commitment to enabling and unlocking capacity through well-regulated private-sector partnerships,” said Transnet board chairperson Andile Sangqu during the May 2025 signing ceremony in Richards Bay.
TNPA says the Port of Richards Bay is being reconfigured in terms of its masterplan for KwaZulu-Natal ports.In alignment with the strategy,TNPA signed a Terminal Operator Agreement in February 2025 with Zululand Energy Terminal (ZET) to design, develop, construct, finance, operate and maintain a liquefied natural gas terminal at the Port of Richards Bay for a period of 25 years.
ZET is a joint venture between Vopak Terminal Durban and Transnet Pipelines (TPL).In May 2025, TNPA shortlisted five preferred bidders for a 25-year concession to develop, manage and operate liquid bulk and green fuel terminals at the Port of Richards Bay. The terminals will be situated in the South Dunes Precinct of the port.The successful preferred bidders are KZN Oils, Linsen Nambi, Protank, Bidvest/Mnambithi Consortium, and KNGM Engineering.The sites will be designed to handle various petrochemical products, including diesel, petroleum, jet fuel, marine fuels, biofuel, hydrogen, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), pure butane, pure propane, base oils and bitumen.“The awarding of preferred bidders for the South Dunes Precinct development is a major milestone in strengthening the Port of Richards Bay’s position as a premier liquid bulk and green fuel hub,” said Richards Bay port manager Captain Dennis Mqadi. ER
20th June 2024 By: Terence Creamer
South Africa’s Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has appointed Grindrod South Africa as the preferred bidder to develop and operate a container handling facility at the Port of Richards Bay, in KwaZulu-Natal.
The appointment is in line with TNPA’s strategy to increase the yearly container handling capacity at the port, which is known as South Africa’s main coal export terminal, from 50 000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to 200 000 TEUs.
The project will involve capital investment of about R285-million, which TNPA acting CEO Phyllis Difeto says will significantly enhance the port’s infrastructure, and the proposed container handling facility will serve the northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal province.
Grindrod South Africa will partner with Eyamakhosi Resources, a local entity within the Umhlathuze municipality, on the project.
Grindrod Limited CEO Xolani Mbambo has expressed optimism that the facility will enhance global trade, as well as the region's economic growth and development.
The award comes as Transnet continues to wait on the outcome of a legal dispute relating to its selection in July last year of International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI), of the Philippines, as a 25-year partner for Durban Container Terminal (DCT) Pier 2.
Rival bidder AP Moller–Maersk, of Denmark, is contesting the selection of ICTSI, and it is currently anticipated that the case will be heard between July and September.
Transnet Port Terminals insists that it will continue to invest in DCT Pier 2 pending the outcome of the legal dispute.