South Africa saw shortages of Marmite both in 2020 and 2021, because of alcohol bans disrupting the supply of brewers' yeast—an essential ingredient for this proudly South African spread. This is but one minor example of how the COVID-19 pandemic has rocked local supply chains. South Africa is but one among many countries that have seen the disruption of supply chains on a local and global scale. 

Put a pin down anywhere on the globe and the disruption in logistics is readily identifiable. Whether it be congested ports, a lack of truck or freight drivers, equipment-related challenges (such as containers or chassis), capacity crunches or elevated rates, there is a plethora of pandemic-caused problems. It’s plain to both consumers and businesses that we have not seen the end of these supply chain issues. The global pandemic was and still continues to affect all industries and so for now there is no quick fix except for the simple but frustrating answer: time.

This answer only leads to more questions… How long will it take for the global supply chain to recover? How will these ongoing issues be fixed? When exactly will it happen? At what point will things get “back to normal”? Any logistics industry expert would say these are hard questions to answer. In South Africa, the recent civil unrest, lockdown measures and Transnet crisis highlight that these are crazy, unprecedented times. For the logistics industry this means hindered forecasts, shortages of transportation capacity, and management challenges for supply chain and logistics operations.

Jeff Berman is the Group News Editor for Logistics Management: a nearly 60 year old magazine that discusses logistics services, technology, and equipment pertinent to all industry professionals and those who rely on logistics services. He had this to say in a recent article about the current global supply chain issue; “I, for one, am optimistic about the sector’s ability to get the job done, as the spine of global economic movement. Things may feel very dire now, but it won’t always be this way, and we will learn from it.”* 

The keyword from Berman’s comment is learning. Siyakhulisa Logistics believes that in their industry, standing still is never a good thing. So while transporting is the sort of movement they specialise in and have a passion for, they also place an emphasis on always moving forward by learning. Whether it be learning new technologies, industry know-how or how to rise above present day challenges such as the pandemic. Trust Syakhulisa Logistics to deliver safely, efficiently and on time.