SA feels impact of fresh violence and escalating clampdown in Maputo amid disputed election

The temporary closing of the Lebombo border crossing into Mozambique from South Africa, triggered by escalating protests over last month's disputed election, is a fresh setback to South African chrome producers and other miners who have been switching to the port of Maputo to export their bulky product in the face of Transnet’s woes. 

Reuters reported that fresh violence erupted around Maputo on Thursday morning, 7 November, as Mozambican police fired teargas at hundreds of opposition supporters gathering for a mass Day of Freedom  demonstration – a signal that the unrest is far from over. 

Even if the border closure is relatively brief, the fall-out from the election will likely remain an unwelcome political and security risk for companies that have come to rely increasingly on the port of Maputo. The ruling Frelimo Party, in power since Mozambique’s independence from Portugal in 1975, has responded to the protests with violence and a throttling of internet access.

Read more: Mozambique’s dark hour – repression, digital isolation and the struggle for freedom  

In a sign of the ripple effect from the border closure and the mounting unrest, South African logistics company Grindrod said on Thursday that it had suspended its port and terminal operations in Mozambique.

"Shareholders are advised that following the closure of the Lebombo border connecting South Africa and Mozambique, a suspension of rail operations, and to ensure safety of our employees, Grindrod’s port and terminal operations in Maputo and Matola are temporarily suspended,” the company said in a SENS announcement on Thursday. “The situation will be assessed continually prior to any resumption.”

South African minerals producers, notably chrome miners, have increasingly been pushing their exports through Maputo – the main destination is China – as the state-run logistics company Transnet went off the rails.

There are hopes that Transnet can turn things around under CEO Michelle Phillips, but its pain has been Maputo’s gain. According to Reuters, Maputo’s port in 2023 moved a record 31.2 million metric tons of cargo, 16% higher than the previous year. Bulk commodities such as copper, chrome, ferrochrome and coal account for the lion’s share.

Most of Northam Platinum’s chrome – a platinum by-product which is a key ingredient in stainless steel production – goes through Maputo to China.

"We move about 3,000 tonnes a day through Maputo, and now there is a backlog of about 5,000 tonnes but Durban remains an option. We also put a bit through via rail and the rail network is still open at the border. We hope it will normalise by next week,” Leon van Schalkwyk, chief commercial officer at Northam, told Daily Maverick. 

Chrome producer Tharisa moves about a third of its chrome via Maputo and spokesperson Ilja Graulich told Daily Maverick that the company had no trucks currently in Mozambique and would for now divert any product destined for there to other ports such as Durban.

Mounting costs  

Demonstrators carry a wounded person during a protest called by the opposition Optimist Party for the Development of Mozambique in Maputo, Mozambique, on 7 November 2024. (Photo: Luisa Nhantumbo EPA-EFE )