With devastating floods having ripped through parts of KwaZulu-Natal last week, the mood among export farmers went from cautious optimism about the upcoming season, to caution without the optimism. Justin Chadwick, CEO of the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa, says that damage to the Durban port has raised many worrisome red flags for them.
Chadwick spoke to Food For Mzansi as President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in a national address last night (Monday, 18 April) that the floods had caused great economic and social damage, and that a national state of disaster is being instituted in South Africa once again.
The Port of Durban, one of the largest and busiest shipping terminals on the continent and vital to the agricultural sector and Mzansi’s economy, is among the infrastructure that has been severely affected. Under normal circumstances, this port handles 13 000 heavy vehicles per day.
“Access to the port has been disrupted by extensive damage to the Bayhead Road, which links the Durban port operations to the rest of the country,” Ramaphosa said.
Citrus industry raises red flags
Chadwick says that the damage to infrastructure have growers very worried, and rightly so. “At the beginning of the 2021 season the message was one of cautious optimism, as we felt that the worst of Covid was over and we had a good 2020 season.
“As the 2022 season dawns, the message is one of caution, without the optimism.”
Although he had advised growers on recent roadshows to expect the unexpected in 2022, he did not foresee to witness containers drifting down the N2 highway, highways becoming rivers, homes washed away, so many lives lost and so many infrastructure damaged, Chadwick adds.
“For exporters through the Durban port, the biggest concern is that Bayhead Road – the feeder road to the Durban container terminals – has had half the lanes washed away, and the integrity of the rest of the road is questionable.”
In official updates late last week, port operator Transnet notified exporters and importers of backlogs, alternative access and arrangements to move essential cargo.
Fortunately, the roads to most cold stores are still intact and the association will monitor developments around getting containers to and through the port, and keep citrus growers updated, Chadwick says.
The new citrus season will not start before the end of the month and the association hopes that all will be back on track by the time major export operations start.
Restoration operations underway
Ramaphosa announced that Infrastructure South Africa – a presidential programme within the ministry of public works and infrastructure – was working with relevant departments in all spheres to provide technical support for the repair and rebuilding of infrastructure such as roads, bridges and schools that have been damaged.
The South African National Roads Agency will be the lead agency on the extensive work required to repair roads in the province. The N2 and N3 highways will receive immediate attention.
“Detailed work is underway to assess and quantify the damage to roads and bridges. To date, around 1 300 road repair projects have been identified by the agencies involved.
“Progress has been made in restoring operations at the port of Durban, opening alternative routes for trucks to access the port terminals and clean up debris in the harbour,” Ramaphosa stated.
These floods, he added, were a tragic reminder of the increasing frequency of extreme weather conditions as a result of climate change. “We need to increase our investment in climate adaptation measures to better safeguard communities against the effects of climate change.
“At the same time, we need to pursue our own emission reduction targets through a just transition that protects vulnerable communities and safeguards jobs.”
To date, 443 people are confirmed to have lost their lives in the floods, while a further 68 people are still missing. A total of 4 000 homes have been completely destroyed, leaving 40 000 people displaced. R1 billion has been made immediately available to help affected residents and for restoration work.
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