Industry sources hope the South African government will intervene in the unilateral closing of the borders by Botswana and Namibia to certain export fruits and vegetables. Since the beginning of the year, Botswana has blocked South African exports of tomatoes, carrots, beetroot, potatoes, cabbage, lettuce, garlic, onions, ginger, turmeric, chilli peppers, butternut, watermelons, sweet peppers, green mealies and fresh herbs.
This unilateral action is against trade agreements with South Africa, including the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) agreement. The situation has become ‘untenable’ and requires government intervention urgently to prevent the SACU agreement from being nothing more than a ‘lame duck’.
Source: news24.com
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