Ceres unrest dogs the fruit sector

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Published Oct 6, 2015

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Johannesburg - South Africa’s key fruit exporting region of Ceres in the Western Cape faces an escalation in violence, intimidation and damage to property as the country’s fruit growers grapple with protests by workers demanding higher wages.

Hortgro, the national umbrella body for the deciduous fruit industry, said yesterday that it was concerned with the continued unrest, intimidation and even threats of arson at some pack houses in the Ceres area.

Nicholas Dicey, the chairman of Hortgro, said he was “extremely disappointed by the disconnect between multi-stakeholder discussions on national level versus what is taking place on regional level”.

“We note with concern that the Western Cape economy will once again be targeted and destabilised via marches organised by among others Cosatu and Fawu this coming Wednesday.”

BUSINESS REPORT

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