The Freight Management Strategy (FMS) is the City of Cape Town's plan for moving goods safely, efficiently and sustainably. Most freight moves through Cape Town by road. The current strategy dates from 2016. That strategy laid a good foundation, but implementation was limited by thin data, enforcement resources and mandates. The update covers newer problems. These include how freight affects city planning and road infrastructure, growth in small delivery services (micro-freight), trucks parking in unofficial areas, environmental impacts and poor compliance.
The draft strategy has several aims:
- Reduce freight-related crashes.
- Encourage a shift of freight from road to rail.
- Protect well-located areas for industrial and freight-related activities.
Possible interventions include upgrading dangerous intersections and crash hotspots, and working with industry on driver training and fatigue management. The draft also proposes a Freight Incident Management Plan to reduce delays.
The City ruled out peak-hour truck bans. It plans to encourage off-peak freight operations instead, working with the logistics sector. The draft also introduces a "user pays" idea, where heavier road users could contribute more to infrastructure costs.
Public comment ran from 24 February to 31 March 2026. The strategy also feeds into the wider transport plan. The 2026 update of the Comprehensive Integrated Transport Plan incorporates the updated Freight Management Strategy. That makes it relevant to congestion, road safety, road maintenance costs and the economy. Cape Town ranks among the world's most congested cities, with drivers losing 96 hours a year to traffic delays.
