Port St Johns on path to economic revival with new harbour development plan

Source: GCIS. Public Works and Infrastructure Deputy Minister Sihle Zikalala.

Zikalala will be joined by the Eastern Cape Public Works and Infrastructure MEC, Siphokazi Lusithi, Port St Johns local Municipality Mayor, Cebisa Mazuza and the Eastern Cape chair of the House of Traditional leaders, Mpumalanga Gwadiso.

“Port St Johns in the Eastern Cape, Port Shepstone in KwaZulu-Natal and Port Nolloth in the Northern Cape have been identified for small harbour development, which will create jobs and boost the economy,” the department said on Wednesday, 9 April 2025.

Last month, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson and the Mayor of Saldanha Bay, André Truter, committed to working together to redevelop the St Helena Bay and Saldanha Bay small harbours.

The two small harbours in the Western Cape, which are owned and managed by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, have over the years fallen into a state of disrepair, often attracting criminal activity and deterring investment in the surrounding communities.