Cargo Movement Update – 15 February 2026:

Containers are down by 17% this week; air cargo is stable (-0,1%)

Good afternoon, colleagues and interested parties

We are sharing the latest version of the cargo report for distribution.

Some highlights discussed this week include the following:

1. TNPA collective figures for January 2026:
   1. TNPA has released consolidated port statistics for January, with the figures showing that:
      1. Container throughput totalled 353,825 TEUs, which is up by +1% (m/m) and +6% (y/y).
      2. Total bulk cargo totalled 23,8 million tonnes, which is up by +28% (m/m) and +27% (y/y).

iii. Vehicle throughput totalled 67,761 units, which is down by -20% (m/m), but up by +27% (y/y).

1. South Africa exported a record number of iron ore exports out of the Port of Saldanha in January (with some 9,3 million metric tonnes of total dry bulk cargo exported out of the port), which is the highest since June 2018.
2. Air cargo update:
   1. For January, international air cargo reflected the typical cyclical slowdown, with JNB and CPT recording sharp m/m declines (both down by -26%), DBN showing strong growth both m/m and y/y, and overall volumes remaining marginally lower (-4,8%, y/y) compared to January 2025.
   2. Domestic air cargo volumes also declined sharply m/m across the main terminals, reflecting the seasonal slowdown, but remained firmly higher overall (+11%, y/y), supported by strong growth in DBN and sustained gains in CPT despite weakness in JNB.
3. Land border updates:
   1. HGV traffic through South Africa’s main border posts increased marginally by +0,5% (m/m), reflecting a modest post-Festive Season recovery. However, northbound volumes declined at most crossings – notably Kopfontein (-17%), Beitbridge (-14%), and Groblersbrug (+14%) – while Lebombo recorded a strong counter-trend increase of +11%.
   2. Other developments this week include operational disruptions during the KM7 dry run at the Lebombo border post, where system glitches, limited staffing, and single-lane processing significantly reduced throughput and resulted in truck queues within the staging areas. However, no delays were reported at the physical border itself.