Namibia, Botswana ban import of some of SA’s produce

SOUTH AFRICA – Namibia and Botswana have made the decision to ban the import of a number of South African produce. The decision is not linked to any South African issue but, rather a need by the two countries to protect their own local farmers. Namibia and Botswana continue to export their produce to South Africa currently. The bans include a number of produce like potatoes, beetroot, tomatoes, cabbage and coloured peppers. The two governments will only review the bans in two years’ time, and indicated that the list of banned produce will likely expand in the future. This could have a dire impact on the South African economy on the long run. Local farmers already face immense competitive challenges as the national minimum wage of R23,90 far exceeds the labour costs in Namibia (R12.23) and Botswana (R5,05).