Truck drivers and freight companies run the gauntlet of potholes, hijackers, robbers and crooked officials to transport cargo on some of the world’s most challenging routes.
The share of operating costs dedicated to security has increased from about 0.3% to 2.3% over the past decade, rising to as much as 4.1% for transporters carrying high-value cargo such as pharmaceuticals, spirits and electronics, according to logistics and freight security intelligence firm TSI Central Station.
The challenges extend beyond security costs. Freight operators moving cargo across the region contend with hijackings, robberies, fuel theft, poor road conditions and corruption on some of Southern Africa's busiest trade routes.
South African Police Service crime statistics show that between 30 and 35 truck hijackings are reported each week. Criminal groups based in Gauteng account for most incidents, while many of the remainder occur along the country's major national highways.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has identified the N1, N2, N3, N4 and N17 as high-risk routes.
The N1 forms part of one of the region's most important freight corridors, linking Cape Town, Johannesburg and the Beitbridge border post before extending north through Zimbabwe and Zambia to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
TSI Central Station says the route is particularly vulnerable because of high truck volumes, border bottlenecks and driver fatigue associated with long-distance transport.
Crime-related risks are also affecting other major trade corridors. On the Trans-Kalahari Corridor between Walvis Bay and Johannesburg, drivers face fuel theft, cargo pilferage and vehicle-part theft, particularly when parked outside designated rest areas.
Further north, concerns about security in the DRC have prompted calls from some Zambian truck drivers for international boycotts of the country's mineral exports following a series of attacks on foreign drivers.
Within South Africa, the Road Traffic Management Corporation has identified several high-risk routes, including sections of the N2, the Moloto Road (R573), the N1, the N3 and the R71 in Limpopo.
The Durban-Johannesburg corridor remains a particular concern, with industry data identifying multiple hotspots associated with hijackings, robberies, looting, arson and fuel theft along South Africa's busiest freight route.
