South Africa's ports are open to mineral exports, transport department says
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JOHANNESBURG — South African ports remain open to all types of cargo, although essential goods will be prioritized, the Department of Transport said in a notice shared by the South African Maritime Safety Authority on its website.
The notice, dated March 31, aimed to clear up widespread confusion among miners in South Africa, Zambia, and Democratic Republic of Congo over whether they would be able to export copper and other minerals through South Africa’s ports.
Communications from port authorities last week showed South Africa’s bulk terminals – ports processing imports and exports of mineral commodities – would shut for the duration of the country’s 21-day lockdown over coronavirus.
(Reporting by Helen Reid and Pratima Desai, editing by Louise Heavens)
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