In a brewing trade discord, South Africa’s Agriculture Minister, Thoko Didiza, has urgently sought a meeting with Gaborone following Botswana’s decision to extend and broaden restrictions on specific horticultural imports. The move, announced by Botswana’s Agriculture ministry on December 1, 2023, aimed at bolstering food self-sufficiency and curbing import expenditure, now sees the ban stretched until the close of 2025.
Expressing concern over the implications, Didiza emphasized that Botswana’s decision could hinder trade relations between the two nations. Speaking to South African state broadcaster SABC, she underscored the urgency of a meeting with her counterpart in Gaborone, highlighting the potential contradiction with the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
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