PRETORIA, August 28 (ANA) - The Truckers’ Association of SA (Tasa) on Wednesday warned that further work stoppages and violence in the volatile trucking industry would be a blow to the ailing South African economy.
Tasa president Mary Phadi spoke to African News Agency in Pretoria, amidst widespread threats and notices of violence and work stoppages in the trucking sector scheduled for September 2.
"We have indeed received such notices about the strike. What we would first and foremost want to preach is peace. We encourage all people to be peaceful and exercise restraint," said Phadi.
She said her organisation was losing sleep over the impact of the scheduled strike on the already bleeding South African economy.
"Our economy is not growing and these incidents and work stoppages continue to affect the income of many people in these difficult times where the country is bleeding," she said.
On Monday, Zambia's High Commission in Pretoria issued a travel advisory warning its citizens in the trucking business to avoid travelling to South Africa next Monday because of the threats of violence circulating on social media.
The high commission's Naomi Nyawali said reports had been received of some Zambian truck drivers being threatened with violence ahead of the stoppage by their disgruntled South African counterparts.
"According to the information made available to the Zambian mission, some Zambian truck drivers have faced physical attacks and threats from their South African counterparts who are fighting for better conditions of service from their employers," said Nyawali.
Notices doing the rounds on Twitter and WhatsApp from unidentified individuals purporting to be representing South African truck drivers call for a nationwide stoppage on September 2 and warn that "no foreign truck drivers will be allowed to drive across South Africa".
"It is with this background that [Zambia's High Commission] would like to advise all Zambian truck drivers who are scheduled to travel to South Africa on the mentioned date not to do so until security is guaranteed," said Nyawali.
"The mission would also want to advise Zambian truck drivers who will enter or would be working in South Africa on the 2nd of September 2019 to park their trucks in safe and secure designated places in order avoid loss of life and property.
"The mission has in the past engaged [Pretoria's] department of international relations on the safety of Zambian truck drivers, and [was] assured of tight security measures that the South African government was putting in place."
- African News Agency
