Abstract
Port congestion poses a significant challenge to global trade efficiency, disrupting supply chains, increasing costs and constraining retail operations. Being one of the main Ports in South Africa, the Port of Durban faces persistent congestion due to ageing infrastructure, governance fragmentation and limited digital integration. This study explored mitigation strategies for port congestion and how retailers can enhance resilience and operational efficiency amid these disruptions.
Guided by Systems Theory and Stakeholder Theory, semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data from 18 participants, with 10 individual interviews held and 2 focus groups representing key stakeholders, including members of the retail and logistics sectors and government participants. Data were captured and subsequently thematically analysed.
The findings revealed that port congestion is a systemic and relational problem driven by interdependent inefficiencies, inadequate infrastructure, poor information flow and weak redundancy across logistics networks. Retailers have adopted coping mechanisms such as early procurement, buffer stockholding and shipment consolidation, which stabilise operations but increase costs. Findings also indicated that divergent stakeholder interests, power imbalances, fragmented accountability and communication gaps undermine collective action and prolong inefficiency. While collaborative governance and integrated data-sharing platforms were identified as potential solutions, progress remains slow.
Overall, the study concluded that effective mitigation of port congestion requires dual reform: strengthening systemic infrastructure, information and feedback mechanisms, while promoting coordinated stakeholder engagement, shared accountability and technological innovation to build a resilient and efficient retail supply chain in South Africa.