Durban and Cape Town have lost out on an opportunity to showcase South Africa because of a bureaucratic botch-up over an American carrier strike group's visit.
The five ships of the strike group, led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman - one of the US Navy's latest - were due in the two ports at the weekend.
Durban was to have hosted two modern Arleigh Burke class destroyers, the USS Barry and USS Mason, as well as replenishment tanker USS Arctic, until April 1, while the aircraft carrier and its
accompanying missile cruiser, the USS Monterey, were to have gone on to Cape Town for a five-day visit.
But a bungle between South Africa's nuclear regulatory body and the US embassy resulted in the visit being abandoned.
The South African nuclear regulatory body insists that nobody advised them about the ships, a requirement for any vessel carrying nuclear material. The US Embassy remained diplomatic.
"The US aircraft carrier Harry S Truman and support ships will not call on South African ports at this time.
"While a port visit was considered, the appropriate clearances were not received in time to ensure that vessels could make the port call and continue on to their destination," said Daniel Stewart, assistant information officer at the US Embassy in Pretoria.
Plans for the visit were unveiled in February and at that time the US naval attaché in Pretoria, Lieutenant-Commander Louis Meier, said permission for the visit was being awaited.
Since then rumours abounded but neither news nor acknowledgement that permission might be given had been forthcoming from South African authorities.
Cape Town has been the biggest loser because more than 6 000 sailors would have flooded the city and tourist spots.
The two destroyers and supply ship intended for Durban carry fewer crew, but would still have given the city a boost at the height of the Easter weekend.
The five ships would also have re-supplied while in port, bringing additional business to ship chandlers and bunker suppliers.
Apart from that, the botch-up has denied South Africa the opportunity to make a good impression on the thousands of young and impressionable visitors, who would have returned home with stories of good hospitality and the friendly people.
And that leaves South Africa the biggest loser in this affair.