From farm dams to mega-ships: Captain Vuyani Ntsimango’s journey

As a young boy, living off his grandmother’s social grant in rural Eastern Cape, Vuyani Ntsimango never even considered that the ocean could one day provide him with his livelihood.

But the 49-year-old has come a long way, from walking to school barefoot on the dirt roads in Peddie to docking one of the world’s largest cargo ships in Nelson Mandela Bay earlier this year.

After his appointment as the harbour master at the Port of Port Elizabeth, Captain Ntsimango feels as if his entire career has put him on a trajectory to reach the pinnacle of his profession.

“I could meet a young Vuyani now, I think he would be inspired by what I have achieved for him. I think my passion for my work would make him proud of who I have become.

“I hate talking about myself. It feels too much like boasting. But I hope some people look at me and see what can be achieved with hard work and dedication. I come from the township, I grew up in rural Eastern Cape, and through effort and seizing opportunities, I have made a success of myself.”

Ntsimango was born in Gqeberha and spent his early childhood in the township of Zwide. At the age of five, he moved to Peddie, where he attended primary school while living with his grandmother.

“Those were tough times. We did not have a lot of money. We lived on my grandmother’s pension grant, and I remember a time when I did not even have school shoes.

“But if there is one lesson I want people to learn from my story, it is that your past does not determine your future. Where you come from does not have to define who you become.”

He returned to Gqeberha as a teenager and attended Mzontsundu Senior Secondary School, and after completing matric, he was lucky to have a family member who worked at Portnet (now the ports division of Transnet) who told him about an opening for a cargo handler at the Port of Port Elizabeth.

“I knew nothing about the sea or jobs related to the ports, but suddenly this opportunity came, and I needed the work. I never looked back.”

After a few months, he applied to join the navy and in 2000 went to SA Naval College at Gordon’s Bay in the Western Cape, where he was trained as a combat officer, specialising in navigation and weapons systems.

“Growing up in Peddie, I learnt to swim in rural rivers, lakes and farm dams. But our naval training started with a 30-metre dive off a cliff into the ocean and building rafts from plastic drums to keep us afloat in the sea swells. I had to learn very quickly.”

While serving on the SAS Drakensberg, Ntsimango applied to the Cape Peninsula University of Technology to further his studies, and thanks to bursaries from the navy, he was able to graduate with a diploma in Maritime Studies in 2007.

The following year, he returned to Gqeberha as a trainee tug master at the Port of Port Elizabeth. After qualifying as a tug master, he was transferred to the Port of Ngqura in 2009, and in 2011, moved to the Port of Durban, where he started his marine pilot training.

He returned to the Port of Port Elizabeth in 2012 as a junior pilot, which allowed him to pilot smaller vessels in and out of the harbour.

He subsequently qualified as an open licence pilot, removing all limitations on the size of vessel he could pilot.

In 2019, he took the position of deputy harbour master, occasionally acting in the position he eventually filled in July 2025.

On a typical day, Ntsimango is responsible for managing operations and preparing shipping lists. He needs to ensure the efficient utilisation of all berths in his port, manage the timely docking and departure of vessels, and manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders such as the SA Maritime Safety Authority, search and rescue organisations and fishing forums, to name a few.

“Each port comes with its own unique challenges. Here in Port Elizabeth, I think the weather, particularly the wind and rough sea conditions, can be challenging.

“On the other hand, Port Elizabeth also presents unique opportunities that we need to develop to get the most we can out of the port.”

Ntsimango said his port already had a reputation as one of the key players in the Eastern Cape’s automotive hub. He believes further developments and increased capacity in that direction will help the automotive sector to “take centre stage” in the port.

He also said that the development of a dedicated cruise liner terminal is in the works, and some key infrastructure developments in that regard could see the port play a major role in the local tourism sector.

Looking back at his career thus far, Ntsimango said one of his proudest moments came earlier this year when he helped guide the MSC Nicola Mastro, one of the largest cargo ships in the world, into the Port of Ngqura.

The Ultra-Large Container Vessel (ULCV) measures 400m in length and 61.5m across, and has a load capacity of 24,166 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), or six-metre shipping containers.

“It was the largest vessel to dock at Ngqura and showcased the capabilities of the country’s only deepwater transhipment hub,” Ntsimango said.

When the captain is not managing maritime operations, he spends most of his downtime with his wife and four children.

To keep fit, he enjoys soccer and running, and to keep spiritually healthy, he spends Sunday at church with his family.

“In everything I do, I try my best to be morally upright and spiritually sound. It has become something of a personal motto, and that is why religion and the church have always been a central part of my life.”

When asked about advice for younger generations of mariners, he said dedication and finding mentors were key.

“Learn from your superiors, find mentors and follow them, and most importantly, work hard and show that you will never give up,” Ntsimango said. DM