TNPA Focuses on Ship Repair

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) appointed Preston Khomo, previously Richards Bay Port Manager, as Executive Manager: Ship Repair, to manage and administer the organization’s ship repair resources nationally.

Thamsanqa (Thami) Sithole has been appointed as the new Port Manager for Richards Bay.  Both appointments are effective July 1.

Khomo joined TNPA in 2004 as Head of Infrastructure Development: Port Operations and Consulting at Portcon (the then international arm of Transnet) and also served as Senior Manager: Real Estate Manager with a portfolio that included the management of the Island View Precinct and Ship Repair for the Port of Durban.  In 2012, he was appointed as Richards Bay Port Manager.

In his new role he will be responsible for the strategic development of ship repair infrastructure, creating mechanisms for fair and equitable access to infrastructure as well as the provision of adequate and efficient services. Ship Repair facilities are located at the Ports of Durban, East London and Cape Town, where there are dry docks, and at Port Elizabeth and Mossel Bay where there are slipways.

Ship Repair has been under the spotlight since 2014 when government announced its Operation Phakisa strategy to unlock the potential of the oceans economy. Numerous infrastructure upgrades have been rolled out by TNPA at its facilities, which are in various stages of completion. Khomo will manage the implementation of the current capital programs in all ship repair facilities.

In the short term the focus will be on developing a comprehensive ship repair strategy and tactical plans, and on improving the functionality and efficiency of TNPA’s ship repair business. Khomo will be responsible for assessing market trends and planning capacity to meet demand, as well as ensuring TNPA realizes optimal value from its ship repair commercial property portfolio, while meeting its obligations in terms of the National Ports Act.

Khomo began his career at Transnet as Terminal Manager for Transnet Port Terminals in 2002. Prior to that he was Municipal Manager for the Municipality of Phalaborwa, following 18 years’ as a geologist, educator and education manager in the mining industry.

A BSc Hons graduate of the University of Fort Hare, he holds an MSc from Huntsville, Alabama, a Diploma in Human Resources Management from Rand Afrikaans University and an MBA from De Montfort University, Leicester, UK.  He has also completed a number of marine-related and executive leadership courses, including the Executive Development Program at the Gordon Institute of Business Science.

Sithole joins TNPA from the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, where he was Senior Manager EPMO - Financial Analyst, Monitoring and Reporting (Capex) for the past seven years. Among his responsibilities were managing the Capex budget, prioritizing Capex projects and engaging with regional operations managers on projects to support rail operations.

He is no stranger to TNPA having worked as Program Manager in the Infrastructure and Engineering Department at the Port of Durban from 2007 to 2011, where he was involved with the delivery of multi-disciplinary infrastructure projects in line with Transnet’s capital infrastructure plan.  These included the infrastructure planning and development strategy for the Island View Precinct, as well as representing TNPA on national strategic projects such as the New Multi Product Pipeline Project (NMPP).

Prior to joining Transnet he was Program Manager – Zululand District, Department of Health.

A BSc Graduate from MEDUNSA, Sithole holds an MBA from the Midrand Graduate Institute, a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from Thames University, London, and a Diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation of Health Programs, from the University of Pretoria Continuing Education.  He recently completed a Project Management Professional Diploma from PM IDEEAS.