South Africa is a country located at the southernmost tip of Africa in the Southern Hemisphere. With more than 50 million inhabitants of varying cultures, origins and languages, it is a country rich in opportunity. The country is surrounded by almost 3000 kilometres of coastline, and bordered in the north by Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique and Namibia. South Africa’s prominent harbours are Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban.

South Africa’s winter season falls between May and August, whereas summer begins mid-October and lasts until the end of February. Summers are characterized by long, hot, and sunny days, often with afternoon thunderstorms in the central and northern regions of the country. The coastal areas experience less adverse weather conditions, and are prone to more stable environments.

Widely regarded as an emerging market, South Africa has a well-established and highly functional financial system backed by the South African Reserve Bank. The local currency is the South African Rand (ZAR), which offers visitors and investors great value for money.

Following the first democratic elections in 1994, the deregulation of the fruit industry in 1997 paved the way for free market fresh fruit trade between South Africa and the world.
Today, fresh fruit accounts for approximately 50% of South Africa’s agricultural exports. South Africa is also the second largest exporter of citrus fruit. Along with citrus, other fruit exports include pome fruit, stone fruit, table grapes, subtropical fruit and exotic fruit, exported to 92 destination-countries. The economic value generated from these exports is in excess of $1.7 billion.