Protests broke out in South Africa's KwaZulu Natal province on July 8 after South Africa's constitutional court sentenced former President Zuma to 15 months in prison for contempt of court, CCTV reported.
With the escalation of the protests, many national roads in South Africa were blocked, trucks on the main roads were burned, and the port of Bande, South Africa's largest port, also fell into a state of stagnation. Many trucks carrying food and export goods have stopped because drivers are worried about their lives.
At present, South Africa is in the peak season of citrus export. Due to the blockade of national highway N2 and N3, citrus export has been suspended. Justin Chadwick, CEO of the Citrus Growers Association of South Africa (CGA), told farmers weekly that South Africa's export industry will continue to be affected by violent protests for some time. As the citrus on the tree is maturing in large quantities, the picking and packaging cannot stop, otherwise it will bring huge losses to the growers. So the packaged oranges will be stored in the farm's freezer until the road is clear and safe.
As of July 9 (the 26th week), South Africa's citrus export volume has reached 55 million cases this season, and the total export volume is expected to be 156.1 million cases, one third of the planned volume has been completed. There are 77.9 million cases of oranges that have been packaged. At present, the number continues to increase. The biggest challenge is how to transport these oranges to the port as soon as possible and export them smoothly.