Wednesday, May 14th, 2025
First batch of season's avos arrives in Shangai
SA turns China green
MADE in South Africa, exported to china!
This sounds to good to be true, but it certainly is not.
The season’s first batch of South African avocados recently arrived in Shanghai, Chin. Now the SA Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has hailed the country’s avocado industry’s active pursuit of international markets.
“The expansion of markets stimulates the demand for South African products, and this demand in turn, drives economic growth and job creation across the sector. This ‘early bird shipment’ to China is a testament to the hard work, innovation, and strategic foresight within our avocado industry,” Steenhuisen said.
The Minister noted that South Africa’s position as a major player in the global avocado market was supported by private sector investment made by companies like ZZ2, a leading farming conglomerate, in cutting-edge packhouses and nurseries, Core Fruit’s well-established expertise in exports, and Mission Produce’s global reach.
He also noted that South Africa holds a distinct logistical advantage compared to major competitors like Peru, thanks to shorter shipping times to China.
“This logistical edge, coupled with ZZ2’s early production timing, allows South African avocados to access the Chinese market during a period of lower supply.”
In August 2023, South Africa and China concluded a phytosanitary agreement that saw the first 21 tons South African avocados from Westfalia Fruits arriving in Shanghai on 8 October 2024. Source: SAnews.gov.za
SASSA says faceless people are causing panic
Double payouts are fake
SASSA cautions its beneficiaries to be careful of fake news on grants
NOPE. There will be no double SASSA grant payouts in June.
“Faceless” people have said that grant recipients can expect a bonus from The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) in June, but the organisation has denied this.
SASSA said it was concerned about the mushrooming and the rapid spread of fake news and disinformation targeting its services almost daily.
SASSA deals and has to correct disinformation created by some faceless people whose intentions are to mislead, cause panic and create false hope amongst SASSA beneficiaries and the public at large, the agency said in a statement.
“SASSA can state categorically that there has been no announcement made for double grant payment in June. These reports should be rejected with the contempt they deserve.
“In line with the Ministry of Finance’s Policy Statement in March, grant increases were announced and came into effect in April, and there will be another increase again in October. Any other increase not announced by credible and relevant authorities should be treated as lies,” stressed Paseka Letsatsi, the SASSA National Spokesperson.
Furthermore, reports have been spreading like wildfire that SASSA has announced “New Rules Could Affect Your Pension” from 10 June. The report has even gone further and announced various dates for different provinces. This is not an official announcement from SASSA.
“We appeal to our beneficiaries to only rely on credible sources of information on our official social media pages. Before anyone can share any information pertaining to social grants, they must first verify its authenticity to avoid disseminating false information that may cause anxiety and stress to our beneficiaries,” says Letsatsi. Source: The South African Social Security Agency