Mosselbaai - lekker plek om af te sluit

Mosselbaai is in November 2013 aangewys as die "groenste" munisipaliteit in die Wes-Kaap. Die dorp spog ook met die "beste" gemiddelde weer dwarsdeur die jaar. Tel daarby die pragtige baai wat al in 1488 deur Bartholomeu Diaz raak gesien en gebruik is, en jy wonder hoekom bly almal nie hier nie.

Die hawe bedien sedert die vroegste dae van die Hollandse settelaars die Suid-Kaap en Klein-Karoo. Meer as 800 ton volstruis vere is jaarliks deur die hawe uitgevoer tydens die bloei tydperk van die volstruis bedryf. 

Tydens ons besoek was daar 'n Duitse plesier boot in die hawe. Die toeriste word toegelaat om die boot te verlaat en met behulp van spesiale identiteitskaarte toegang na die dorp te kry. Geen immigrasie beheer word in so geval toegepas nie. Immigrasie amptenare van George word wel ingeroep wanneer onwettige immigrante deur die polisie in hegtenis geneem word, voordat hulle in die hof moet verskyn, of wanneer skeeps bemanning vir langer tye aan wal gaan.

Hawe sekuriteit is streng en ons kon net op 'n afstand na die aktiwiteite kyk. Dit was egter 'n paslike afsluiting van die 73 grensposte wat ons tydens die toer besoek het.

Streng sekuriteit by die hawe se ingang

Duitse plesierboot in Mosselbaai hawe

Port Elizabeth - not a friendly experience

After the nice visit to the harbour and airport of East London, we continued our journey along the coast towards Port Elizabeth. 

Along the way we stayed over at Green Fountain Farm Resort, just before Port Alfred. Amazing place, owned and managed by amazing people, Rob and Frieda Greyling. Look at www.greenfountainfarm.co.za for more information.

First port of entry on our agenda for the day, was Port Ngqura, 20 km north of Port Elizabeth. The harbour is situated at the mouth of the Coega river. It is part of the plans of the Coega Development Corporation and is South Africa's newest harbour. This first commerial cargo ship moored here in October 2009. The harbour was officially opened on 16 March 2012.

But that is about as far as we got here. Despite numerous attempts at various offices and gates, we could not get more information or pictures, and did not gain entry into the harbour area. We were invited to submit a written request to visit  the port, which will then be proccessed within 48 hours - not suitable for our tour ...

Road entrance to Port Ngqura

Permits required to gain entrance here

Coega Development Corporation - burocratic red tape galore! 

At Port Elizabeth Harbour, South Africa's third biggest after Durban and Cape Town, we had a similar experience with no better luck. Transnet's access control was strictly enforced and we could not see much nor gained entry or access to information. We were told that when luxury cruise liners visit the harbour, the general public is allowed access with little control over cameras. Despite this, I could not convince them to allow us similar access.

Port Elizabeth harbour - no entry here

The word 'Welcome' has different meanings for different people

Port Elizabeth International Airport, previously known as the HF Verwoerd Airport, gave us a more welcome feeling. The staff at the information desk were eager to provide us with all the information we needed or to introduce us to the right people.

There are no sheduled international flights to/from Port Elizabeth. When international passengers do arrive on chartered or private flights, the immigration staff (based in town) will be called out to process their airports. Most of the domestic airlines offer scheduled flights to and from all the major centres of South Africa.

East London - the friendly little city

After reaching the top of Sani Pass, the last of our border posts by road, we headed south along the coast to complete the tour with the last harbours and airports. First stop was East London. We experiened it as a clean, friendly city, not too big and not too small either.

The unique harbour 'in' the mouth of the Buffalo river, South Africa's only river harbour, has international status. This is mainly due to the international cargo ships serving the motor industry, specifically Mercedes Benz, whose manufacturing plant keeps this city alive. Ships with a capacity of 5,000 cars can often be seen leaving the harbour. Its not only motor cars though, as the port also boasts the biggest export grain elevator of all SA ports.  

Immigration officials from the Dept of Home Affairs are based in town. They are called out when crew from international ships want to disembark, or when the occasional cruise ships visit the harbour.

There are plans to establish a waterfront boardwalk with restaurants and other entertainment on the eastern side of the harbour. This can only make East Londen more attractive.

Eastern side of East London harbour

Looking at the western side of East London harbour - for the motor industry

Waterfront development planned for this section of East London harbour

East London airport, only 10 minutes drive from the harbour, was previously known as the Ben Schoeman Airport. After the democratic elections in 1994, it was renamed to East London International Airport.

The airport is neat and tidy and quite busy on the Sunday morning that we were there. There are daily domestic scheduled flights by SA Airlink, SA Express and Kulula to all the major centres of South Africa. No scheduled international flights, and according to the airport manager on duty, and much to our surprise, it has no immigration processes to deal with international passengers. I will certainly verify this as it is listed by the Dept of Home Affairs as an international airport. 

The signage does not display 'International' status

East London is also known as Buffalo City

Durban harbour - Africa's busiest

Durban was proclaimed as a city in 1935 after it became a municipality in 1854. But the harbour, next to Salisbury Island, has been used regularly as early as 1823 when King Shaka granted it the status of a trading post.

Today this harbour is the busiest in Africa in terms of handling cargo. Facilities include 15 kilometers of quays, 352 meter deep dry docks, cooling storage area for up to 10,500 tons, grain silos with capacity of 40,000 tons. The oil terminals can accommodate tankers bigger than 200,000 tons. The facilities are massive and up to 4,000 commercial ships are using Durban harbour per year. 

But it is about to get bigger! Transnet is planning to increase the capacity of the harbour dramatically. Construction work will start in 2016 and the new facilities, some of which will be built on land used by the old airport, will become operational by 2020.

Immigration control, customs, SARS and the port's police are hosted in a building across the harbour. We went to visit them early on a Saturday morning and were lucky to get access to some of the port's managers. 

Home of the one-stop-shop (immigration, police, customs,  SARS) across the  harbours entrance

Memorial for Bartholomeuz Diaz (according to my children, my namesake)

Richards Bay - port to the future ?

Richards Bay, with Empangeni and surrounding townships and rural areas, forms part of the City of uMhlathuze. With a total population of over 350,000, uMhlatuze assumed its city status on 21 August 2001.

The port of Richards Bay on the mouth of the Mhlatuze river, is South Africa's deepest and largest port. It occupies a total area of 2,174 hectares on land and 1,442 on sea. The town was proclaimed in 1969 and the harbour was developed in 1976, mainly to export coal via the railway and oil pipe line from Johannesburg. The coal terminal is the biggest of its kind in the world.

Richards Bay is a modern town with potential for much more growth. It has been earmarked by the Government as one of the country's growth and development points and through the Industrial Development Zone initiative (IDZ), it is bound to attract a great deal of investment.

Richards Bay is approximately 180 km north of Durban and can be reached from the N2. The southern N2 is a toll road and you will pay toll fees of about R60 to reach Richards Bay from Durban. The N2, both from Durban and Pongola, is in an excellent condition.

The Tuzi Gazi Waterfront in Richards Bay is home to pubs, restaurants, shops and walk-on mooring sites for many local and international yachts. This is also where we found the Port Control offices. It is only the border control police with offices in the waterfront. Customs, SARS and Immigration are based in town and will visit the harbour during 7:30 to 16:00 with international departures or arrivals.

Richards Bay is a modern town with huge shopping centres and lots of room for growth

This sunken oil tanker near the beach caused a lot of concern recently 

Entrance to the Tuzi Gazi Waterfront - crossing this steel bridge over the Mhlatuze river

Yachts at the walk-on mooring sites in the waterfront

Port Control offices in Tuzi Gazi Waterfront

Dag 1 - eerste "grensposte"

Kaapstad Internasionale lughawe  was soos verwag nie baie maklik om  toegang te kry na die plek waar paspoorte gestempel word nie. Maar ons het darem vriendelike amptenare by die Doeane beheerpunt gekry wat bereid was om vir ons 'n stempel te gee.

By Kaapstad hawe in die Waterfront was die immigrasie kantoor 'n verassing. Die gebou is redelik oud, effe verwaarloos en onopvallend. Ek wonder hoeveel mense glip die land hier binne ...
Maar weer eens was die personeel vriendelik en het ons 'n stempel gekry.

In Saldanha Baai het ons baie gesoek na die regte plek. UIteindelik is ons verwys na die SARS kantoortjie. Mnr Kuys, 'n Doeane en Aksyns inspekteur het ons vertel dat daar nie meer 'n immigrasie beheerpunt vir skeeps bemanning is nie - dit word nou via Kaapstad gedoen.  
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It was not possible to gain access to the immigration control at Cape Town International airport - as expected. However, we did get a stamp from a very friendly Customs official.

The immigration office at Cape Town harbour in the Waterfront was a surprise. Old and not very easy to find. But friendly staff gave us a stamp.

In Saldanha Bay we found out that there is no longer an immigration control point for sea crew - it was moved to Cape Town.