alert! The country has the deadliest violent incident in 27 years. Terminals are closed, warehouses are damaged, and freight is interrupted!

Since last week, demonstrations have broken out in many places in South Africa in solidarity with former South African President Zuma who was imprisoned for contempt of court. Today, the protests have evolved into violence and robbery, and spread throughout South Africa, causing serious disruptions in the supply chain.
It is reported that the current security situation in some parts of South Africa has further deteriorated, and violence such as beating, smashing, looting and burning continues to spread and escalate. The South African Police Department released data on the evening of the 13th, which has caused 72 deaths and 1234 arrests and imprisonment.
In Johannesburg, Durban, Pietermaritzburg and other places, there were still large-scale incidents of smashing, looting, looting and burning on the 13th. The South African government announced on the evening of the 12th that it had sent the National Defense Forces to assist the local police in maintaining law and order.

South African President Ramaphosa said that since South Africa ended the apartheid system 27 years ago, there has never been such a deadly violent incident in the country.
In Johannesburg, most shops, banks, restaurants, medical institutions and other places are closed early at around 14:00 to avoid the risk of being ransacked. At the same time, South Africans also rushed home to avoid shopping. At around 20 o'clock, except for the scattered patrol cars on the streets of Johannesburg, it was almost impossible to find people.
Due to the very tense situation, most companies either closed down or hired a very small amount of labor at work, resulting in a severe disruption in the supply chain, and the docks and warehouses were also affected. On July 12, South African logistics company Transnet, which is responsible for operating the country’s ports and terminal operations, announced that due to force majeure, it has suspended terminal operations at Durban Port and Richards Bay Port.
Durban Port (Durban) is the largest container port in South Africa. According to the shipping company’s announcement, the Durban container terminal was partially closed, and DurbanMPT, EmptyDepotsin Durban and Johannesburg were closed.

In addition, according to a report from "Business Tech", the N3 highway, the most important route in South Africa, was forced to close due to the continued impact of widespread robberies and riots. The police advised not to drive on the N3 highway after July 13.

The N3 highway toll department stated that for safety reasons, the entire toll route from Cedara town in KwaZulu-Natal province to Heidelberg town in Gauteng province has been closed, and it is strongly recommended that driving vehicles choose to take a detour before further notice.

South African Police Minister Sele said at a security briefing that day that the South African police are already in an "overloaded" state, and police officers on leave have also been urgently recalled. At present, the police are closely following the riots, using various information channels to quickly respond to hot spots to ensure that the situation will not deteriorate further, and strive to quell the riots and restore normal social order in South Africa as soon as possible.

Sele also stated that if the riots continue, South Africa's economy cannot continue to recover, and food security cannot be guaranteed. This is undoubtedly "catastrophic" for the entire country. At the same time, the large-scale riots also gave the new crown pneumonia virus an opportunity. Once it spreads on a large scale, it will make the South African medical system that is overwhelmed. To this end, he called on Zuma supporters to immediately stop violence and ignorance of the law, and restore the original peace and stability of South Africa as soon as possible.
The Chinese Embassy in South Africa issued two emergency safety reminders to remind Chinese and overseas Chinese in South Africa to pay attention to personal safety and exchange safety information in a timely manner; business overseas Chinese in relevant areas should stop all business activities and hire local security companies and other forces to strengthen alertness and guard; stay away from riots as soon as possible Activity hotspots, malls, shops, warehouses and other potentially high-risk targets, give priority to ensuring personal safety.
Here is a reminder that freight forwarders who have recently traded with the region should pay attention to the logistics situation in real time and be prepared for delays. Beware of the risks of customs clearance at the destination port, buyer abandonment, non-payment, etc., so as not to affect the shipment and cause losses.