Key South African Trade Route to Mozambique Shut as Protests Flare

  • Closure estimated to cost South Africa 10 million rand daily
  • Lebombo border is key transit route for coal, chrome exports
A traffic officer directs a truck driver, waiting to cross South Africa’s border into Mozambique, at Lebombo Border control in Komatipoort, South Africa, on Friday, July 14, 2023.Photographer: Leon Sadiki/Bloomberg
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South Africa suspended operations at its main border crossing with Mozambique, a key coal and chrome export hub, as election-related protests flared in the southeast African nation.

Demonstrators on the Mozambican side angered by the result of the country’s Oct. 9 elections, blocked the route that often processes more than 1,000 trucks a day en route to Maputo’s port. Over the weekend they also forced authorities to shut two power plants and targeted other key infrastructure.