CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA — The recent Cape Town port ranking, which placed the facility at the very bottom of a global index, has sparked a critical conversation regarding South African port competitiveness and the nation’s ability to participate in international supply chains. According to a comprehensive report released by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence, the harbor finished last out of 400 facilities worldwide, casting a spotlight on severe operational inefficiencies and their impact on regional trade.
Yavi Madurai, President of the African Prosperity Fund and a prominent trade specialist, weighed in on the severe assessment. While acknowledging that Cape Town remains a vital maritime hub, he noted that it has historically been overshadowed by Durban, the largest port on the African continent. Over the past two years, global disruptions have caused Cape Town’s performance to fluctuate, making its current position at the bottom of the index a harsh reality check for the city’s logistics sector.
Rather than viewing the situation solely as an operational failure or merely measuring it against the promises of Operation Vulindlela, Madurai reframed the narrative as a broader economic threat. He argued that the S&P and World Bank index is essentially measuring how efficiently the nation connects to continental and global value chains. Because modern harbors function as critical trade infrastructure rather than mere transport nodes, the inability to move cargo swiftly deters foreign direct investment (FDI), manufacturing, and comprehensive value chain development across the region.
Despite the grim headline for the Mother City, Madurai pointed to a massive silver lining that proves systemic recovery is entirely possible. The Port of Durban was officially recognized as the most improved harbor globally. Surging by more than 400 points on the index, Durban climbed from a score of negative 720 in 2024 to negative 240 in 2025. This dramatic turnaround demonstrates that the issues plaguing the country’s maritime infrastructure are highly fixable and can be reversed with the right interventions.
Further positive momentum is visible at Richards Bay, a highly specialized terminal responsible for exporting a massive volume of the country’s commodities. Transnet has actively brought private sector players into the governance and management of the facility to boost efficiency. However, Madurai cautioned against drawing direct comparisons between Cape Town, Durban, and Richards Bay, as their operational dynamics differ vastly. Instead, Cape Town must be benchmarked against other terminals across the continent and the globe.
When addressing the need for modernization and refurbishment to handle growing trade volumes, Madurai described a classic “chicken or the egg” dilemma. Expanding cargo capacity is required to justify massive infrastructure investments, yet significant capital is needed first to actually increase that capacity. Breaking this cycle is essential for the country’s future trade viability.
The specialist also warned that the nation can no longer rest on its historical advantages or measure itself against European standards. The real competition is now regional, and other African nations are rapidly outpacing the country. Tangier Med in Morocco currently sits as the sixth-best harbor globally on the exact same index. Meanwhile, Tanzania is pushing through reforms, Kenya is aggressively investing in its terminals, Namibia is modernizing, and Egypt is constructing 15 new facilities to dominate its Mediterranean coastline. Additionally, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo are joining forces to revitalize ports along the mineral-rich Lobito Corridor to capitalize on vast economic opportunities.
As Africa continues to be the fastest-growing region on the planet, maritime terminals serve as the ultimate link to the world and global market access. Summarizing the stakes for the nation’s future, Madurai emphasized a stark choice: “If South Africa wants to be the gateway to the continent, as we’ve always said that we are, then we need to understand that we also can’t be Africa’s bottleneck.”