Transnet said rail and port infrastructure was severely damaged, and access to the terminals was affected.
Durban - Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan is expected to visit the Port of Durban on Tuesday to receive a progress report after the recent flooding which swept through KwaZulu-Natal, claiming more than 400 lives, and damaged Transnet infrastructure.
According to Transnet, rail and port infrastructure sustained severe damage during the worst flood to have hit the province in sixty years.
The port entity said that the heavy rains had damaged the road infrastructure leading into the Port of Durban, affecting access to the terminals.
“As a precautionary measure and for safety reasons, operations across the Durban terminals had to be suspended at around 7.30pm on April 11.
“There have been no major incidents reported at the terminals thus far,” Transnet spokesperson Ayanda Shezi said.
In addition to damages to the port, a shipping container terminal along the N2 south near the old airport was also severely damaged.
As containers were seen floating along the freeway during the storm, aerial shots circulating on social media showed the extent of the devastation. Almost all of the containers in the yard had fallen over while some fell onto the road at the N2/M4 split.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a state of disaster in the province following a visit to the affected areas with senior government officials last week.
The floods which caused billions of rands of damage and destroyed around 13,500 homes, has so far claimed about 450 lives while around 60 people remain missing.
The sounds of helicopters flying overhead have become a norm for Durban residents this past week, as private security companies and state rescue officials have been hard at work conducting rescue operations.
It was also reported that 10,000 SANDF members were deployed to KZN to assist with disaster relief and mop up operations.
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