Approximately 1 350 containers containing stonefruit, table grapes and blueberries for the EU and the UK were left without power for 28 to 36 hours. This follows a power failure at Transnet port terminals that started on Monday night (20 December).
The state-run ports authority has declared force majeure at the Cape Town Container Terminal and the Cape Town Multi-Purpose Terminal for the third time in six months.
Freshplaza.com reports that some exporters retrieved their containers from the stacks (which necessitates a temporary re-import of the fruit back into South Africa) to get the fruit back to a privately-run depot.
Power was restored by Tuesday evening but by Wednesday, force majeure had not yet been lifted by Transnet Port Terminals. For some, however, the force majeure deceleration seem to be unmerited.
“It was absolutely not a force majeure event, it’s something that could’ve been managed within Transnet, especially given the 15-plus years of power cuts in South Africa. Elsewhere in the world, port terminals have generating capacity in the case of power failure,” an industry source told FreshPlaza.
The problem is seemingly with the build-up of trucks coming into the port with nowhere to go. Reports suggest that there is a queue of trucks kilometres long waiting outside the port.
ALSO READ: Transnet back up and running, but is Maputo a safer bet?
Locusts: Northern Cape on high alert
Meanwhile in the Northern Cape, MEC for land reform, agriculture and nature conservation and environmental affairs, Mase Manopole, has confirmed that the hopper locusts in the province have reached a flying stage
Recently the province has seen a high number of brown locust swarms flying around some areas in the province. While hoppers have reached flying stage, most of the swarm have crossed borders from Namibia into the province, Manopole says.
“They have found refuge in areas which are close to the Namibian borders such as Poffader, Pela, Onseepkans, Noeniput, Askham and Mier. Moving into the interior in areas such as Upington, Kakamas and Keimoes,” she says.
The department says it is in communication with the Namibian authorities to see how best they can keep the situation under control.
The MEC calls on motorists to be on high alert and extremely cautious when driving through a locust swarm on Northern Cape roads.
“The locust swarms may reduce your ability to see the road and oncoming traffic and block your vehicle’s radiator, causing overheating,” she pointed out.
ALSO READ: Didiza pleads with farmers to report locust swarms
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