Managers' families on the banana farms around Moamba in the south of Mozambique, very close to the South African border, have left the farms for the safety of South Africa, leaving only the managers ahead of the strikes that ended yesterday.
The latest strikes were called by former mayor of Maputo and self-proclaimed victor of the general elections Venancio Mondlane, now in exile in an unknown country but insisting he'll take over power this January. Mondlane opposes the Frelimo government which intends to celebrate its fiftieth year in power in Mozambique next year.
Since general elections on 9 October 2024, violence has claimed the lives of 110 people, according to Amnesty international calling the situation in Mozambique "a nightmare". Accusations of widespread electoral fraud and intimidation over the results have revived old unsettled controversies.
For security reasons South Africa again closed the border with Mozambique and it's been a week since food flowed both ways, reportedly driving up banana prices almost threefold in the southern neighbour.
Banana prices are climbing in South Africa as the border remains closed to Mozambican bananas
Litchi harvest escaped
At this moment trucks filled with bananas, mangoes and litchis are waiting at the Lebombo border post, ready to cross over into South Africa as soon as customs give the go-ahead.
The fruit industry is tensely awaiting news on the border situation where they feel South African customs are slow to react and allow food through. The border has re-opened today for traffic, but cargo, both perishables and huge amounts of minerals, is still held back, creating a 25 km-long queue of trucks.
"Mozambican litchi growers fortunately managed to get a lot of their fruit before this heatwave and before this problem at the border blocked them," says a litchi trader who asks to remain anonymous. "Quite a lot of Mozambican litchis that's already gone into mainly England and some into France."
Litchis are flown out either through Harare in Zimbabwe or Johannesburg in South Africa.
Banana shortage building in South Africa
Two-thirds of South Africa's bananas are grown in Mozambique and consignments have had to turn around at the border and go back to the farm. "But where do you go with a load that got turned around? Your cool rooms are already full with the next consignment."
"Not one of the prepackers supplying retail is able to fill its banana programmes at the moment," says an industry insider.
The border closure has had a "very, very big impact" on their business, says a representative of the Mozambican banana industry, and the biggest frustration is that customs is not making a distinction between perishables and dry cargo, like the tonnes of diesel and coal, chrome and manganese moving across the border.
The Road Freight Association in South Africa estimates a financial loss of R10 milllion (535,000 euros) a day.
"And," says the banana grower who asks not to be named, "we're not just talking about driving out bananas to South Africa. People are struggling to get food into Mozambique."
Zimbabwe has not closed its border with Mozambique. A grower in Manica Province, bordering Zimbabwe to the west, reports: "Food and fuel is still OK for now. But the situation is volatile and can change at anytime. For the most part it's been peaceful and quiet with a few days of protests and some violence. It changes from day to day."