Mmegi

SA counts the costs of veggie import bans

High demand: The vegetable import ban has been extended to December 2025
High demand: The vegetable import ban has been extended to December 2025

South Africa’s vegetable exports to Botswana dropped 55% in value in the first year of the import ban imposed by Gaborone. With other SACU states considering similar moves, the region’s “minnows” are forcing a shakeup, writes MBONGENI MGUNI

South African agricultural economists estimate that the value of the country’s vegetable exports to Botswana dropped by 55% in 2022, the first year of the partial horticultural import ban imposed by Gaborone to boost local production.

The figures released recently are the first indication of the impact of the import ban effected in January 2022 by government.

Editor's Comment
Child protection needs more than prevailing laws

The rise in defilement and missing persons cases, particularly over the recent festive period, points not merely to a failure of policing, but to a profound and widespread societal crisis. Whilst the Police chief’s plea is rightly directed at parents, the root of this emergency runs deeper, demanding a collective response from every corner of our community. Marathe’s observations paint a picture of neglect with children left alone for...

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