The ability of businesses across the Western Cape to continue trading with minimal disruption during the June 30 protests demonstrated the value of close cooperation between government, law enforcement and the private sector.
Exporters Western Cape thanks the Western Cape Government, the South African Police Service, the City of Cape Town, municipalities across the province, traffic authorities, emergency services and industry partners whose coordinated efforts helped maintain stability and keep supply chains moving.
The demonstrations, which took place in various parts of South Africa, centred on calls by groups advocating for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country. While several marches and isolated incidents were recorded across the Western Cape, authorities’ proactive response ensured that the province remained largely operational, allowing exporters, transport operators and logistics providers to continue serving international markets.
“The Western Cape showed that it is possible to protect the democratic right to peaceful protest while maintaining the stability that businesses and exporters depend on. We would like to thank everyone involved for the professional manner in which the situation was managed,” said Terry Gale, Chairperson of Exporters Western Cape.
According to Gale, the province’s ability to maintain normal business activity sent an important message to international trading partners.
“Our export economy depends on reliability. Overseas buyers expect South Africa to honour its commitments and every successful trading day reinforces confidence in the Western Cape as a dependable place to do business.”
He said the response reflected a shared understanding across the province that economic growth, employment and investment depended on maintaining an environment where trade could continue uninterrupted.
“It is encouraging to see the level of cooperation between government, law enforcement, organised business and industry. There is a clear consensus in the Western Cape that protecting economic activity is in everyone’s interest, and that collaborative approach benefits exporters, workers and communities alike.”
Exporters Western Cape said it looked forward to continued collaboration with all stakeholders to strengthen the province’s position as South Africa’s leading export hub and ensure that goods continued to move efficiently through its ports, airports and transport corridors.
About Exporters Western Cape
Exporters Western Cape is a non-profit organisation established in 1979 to support and promote active, sustainable exporting in the Western Cape.
The organisation provides a trusted platform for exporters and stakeholders across the trade ecosystem to connect, share knowledge and engage on key issues affecting export growth. Through a programme of informative and interactive networking events, Exporters Western Cape facilitates dialogue between business, government and trade associations, while signposting both new and established exporters to relevant expertise, insights and market opportunities.
