Manufacturers in Alrode, a key Gauteng industrial hub, are confronting three simultaneous challenges that are disrupting production, raising costs and threatening jobs.
Port delays, renewed power outages and rising volumes of low-cost imported cable are placing additional strain on compliant local plants at a time when the country needs stronger manufacturing output and employment growth.
“With municipal elections approaching, we as the manufacturing industry emphasise that the next local administrations will need to demonstrate a more proactive approach to supporting local business and manufacturing sectors through reliable infrastructure, efficient operations and ensuring a level competitive environment,” said Andre Smith, Chief Executive Officer of C4A, previously South Ocean Electric Wire.
He said that port delays are affecting the ability of local plants to maintain continuous production schedules. “In one instance, stock that was scheduled to dock in Durban at the end of August arrived in mid-September, but after a split discharge of containers the vessel returned to anchorage and docked only this week, six weeks late.
“Durban currently faces a delay of 14 days from the time a vessel docks. Discharge of containers has lengthened from three days to between seven and 14 days, while container booking through the NAVIS system further slows the process.
“The cost implications include production delays and storage charges including detention, demurrage and overstay. These charges are shipping-line dependent and levied in US dollars which can start from an average of USD 1 000 per container per day,” Smith said.
Power outages
He added that factories and businesses in Alrode are once again contending with a prolonged power outage that began in early October. The City of Ekurhuleni has attributed the interruption to faulty cable that resulted in two sub-stations being out of service. The outage forced many operations to reduce production or switch to expensive diesel generators. Local business owners have expressed frustration over the slow pace of restoration and the absence of a clear timeline for a permanent solution.
These concerns echo those raised during a similar crisis in September and October 2025, when a fire at the Bosworth substation left large parts of Alrode without power for an extended period.
“Energy experts have previously highlighted vulnerabilities in municipal electricity networks, including ageing equipment, inadequate maintenance, overloading, environmental debris and theft of infrastructure. Professor Valli Padiachi, a veteran energy consultant, has noted that transformers contain flammable materials and oil and that delayed response times and underinvestment compound the risks,” Smith noted.
Low-cost imports
The logistics and electricity disruptions arrive against a backdrop of sharp growth in low-cost imported cable. Official trade data show that South Africa imported 32 943 tonnes of electrical cable from June 2025 to June 2026 over a 12 month period. This represents a 43% increase from two years earlier, while the average landed price fell by 28%. Smith noted that many imported products fail to meet the SABS and other standards that local manufacturers are required to observe, creating competitive distortion and potential safety concerns.
Smith said local producers continue to invest in product quality, testing and compliance yet face a market in which non-compliant or aggressively priced imports can displace domestic output.
“To compete, we need reliable electricity, efficient ports and protection from dumping, which are fundamental to a successful production industry. Repeated outages, port delays and the rise in cheap, non-compliant imported products make it significantly harder for compliant local plants to operate efficiently,” he said. “Each of these issues need to be urgently addressed by government, and there is no reason why they cannot be solved once and for all.
“Service delivery failures raise the real risk of further national production cuts and staff reductions at a time when South Africa needs to be creating employment, growing the economy and building a robust manufacturing sector.”
“We need clearer communication from government as to what it is doing to address these issues. Priority needs to be given on maintenance and security of critical substations, improved coordination on logistics, and the dumping of product into South Africa must be investigated,” Smith concluded.