General

The cities of Johannesburg, Durban and Pietermaritzburg in South Africa were full of fire and gunfire. Roads were blocked, trucks and police cars were overturned, courts were forced to close, many large shopping malls were set ablaze, and thick smoke rolled like battlefields. In the sound of the police sirens, people screamed and ran away, as if the end was coming; the shops were looted and then smashed into rubble.

South Africa is facing severe political turmoil. On the evening of the 13th local time, a spokesperson for the South African Police Department stated that the riots caused by the arrest of former President Zuma are spreading in many provinces of South Africa; the situation is quite tense due to riots, looting and burning of vehicles across the country. Hundreds of companies, shopping centers and warehouses were looted or set on fire. South Africa has deployed a national defense force to control the situation.

In view of this, most companies either shut down or work with minimal labor, leading to severe disruptions in the supply chain. The docks and warehouses were also affected, and the status is as follows:

Durban, the largest container port in South Africa, was also affected. The Durban container terminal was partially closed, and Durban MPT, Empty Depotsin Durban and Johannesburg were closed.

The Port of Durban is the country's largest port, transporting various major living supplies to 14 countries in southern Africa. The protests have brought South Africa's largest economic artery to a standstill. At present, the country's largest city and largest port have been paralyzed, and the protests continue to spread. Due to the South African protests, some shipping companies in Durban Port announced the suspension of operations. According to SMM, due to the riots caused by the protests in South Africa, some shipping companies in Durban Port recently issued force majeure letters, announcing the temporary suspension of operations. Since the force majeure event cannot be confirmed for how long it will last, the re-operation time is undetermined. In addition, the protests in KwaZulu-Natal have blocked many highways and the transportation of goods is not smooth, which may affect the delivery of chrome ore.

A mess, shopping malls and warehouses were looted or burned!

The police stated that the riots had spread from Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, among the nine provinces of South Africa, to Mpumalanga and Northern Cape. Western Cape Governor Alain Wendy said that there have been several incidents that attempted to cause riots in the province, but they have all been calmed down. The province will bring together more than 8,000 law enforcement officers to guard against death to ensure the safety of the lives and property of residents in the province.

On the 13th local time, shopping malls and warehouses in many cities in South Africa were looted or burned, killing dozens of people. Aerial footage showed black smoke from multiple warehouses in Durban, a large number of people and vehicles gathered nearby, and goods and debris scattered all over the place in a mess.

On the same day, a shopping mall in Pietermaritzburg caught fire after being robbed. The video showed that the raging fire almost burned the building to an empty shell, and there were people packing scattered goods at the door of the building. According to local media reports, the fire may have been caused by robbers' arson.

Durban is the import and export hub of South Africa and one of the busiest shipping terminals on the African continent. South African President Ramaphosa warned on the 12th that the disruption of the supply chain caused by the riots may lead to food and drug shortages in the coming weeks, and people are increasingly worried that food and fuel in many places will face supply disruptions. On the 13th, there was a long line in front of several supermarkets and gas stations in Durban that were still open. Some citizens said that because all gas stations in his community were damaged, he had to drive more than six hours to get the car. Come on.

The South African Rand was once one of the best emerging market currencies during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Affected by the riots, the South African Rand fell to a three-month low on the 13th local time.

After the Chinese Consulate General in Durban issued a reminder to strengthen security for Chinese citizens, in the early morning of July 14 local time, the Chinese Embassy in South Africa once again urgently reminded Chinese citizens in South Africa to further strengthen security.