The transport workers’ strike that has paralysed the South African fruit export industry is over.

News agencies report from Johannesburg that the Transnet strike that has cost the country’s export industry billions of rands is finally over. The strike ended on Thursday, with SA Transport and Allied Workers' Union (Satawu) members accepting a new offer.

Deputy president Robert Mashego said: "We have accepted... we have signed. We are not happy about the offer per se, but we think we can live with it.”

Members began returning to work on Friday and everyone is expected to be back in their posts by Monday at the latest.

The news that the strike have been called off has been greeted with relief in the South African fresh produce industry. However, industry leaders say the fall-out will continue and it will take weeks for the backlog in container shipping to be cleared.

With the strike over, there will be new issues to deal with following industry statements that legal action will be taken to recover financial losses suffered during the strike.

The Lars Maersk, which is now on its way to Europe, has the bulk of these containers on board, but further delayed shipments will follow.

Shipping lines will look to normalize their schedules and many exporters will continue to move more fruit on specialised reefer vessels, which were chartered at the peak of the strike.

The Citrus Growers’ Association (CGA) says there are 26 vessels at outer anchorage off Durban, three vessels off Port Elizabeth and 14 off Cape Town.

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