The fuel crisis has driven South Africa's economy to its knees, the Automobile Association said on Friday, as the major transport artery between Cape Town and Johannesburg became jammed at Beaufort West.

.."Vehicles have no fuel and are stranded as far away as Springbok. They are loaded with fruit but cannot move. This means that fruit is going to miss shipment overseas. The fruit will go off and will not reach customers in Europe in time. We believe we've now got to the level of a national emergency.

..Agri Wes-Cape CEO Carl Opperman said: "For our fruit producers the diesel shortage is heading for a crisis. We are working with highly perishable products that need to get from the farm to the market, to the factory, to the harbour. Now we are waiting for diesel. We cannot transport workers; we are unable to use tractors and diesel-driven vehicles in the orchards."

IOL