The Road Freight Association – in conjunction with the transport unions as well as departments of labour and transport – has set up a task team to investigate the “why’s and wherefores” behind the ongoing truck blockades and protests on the national highways. This follows another incident two weeks ago when truck drivers were arrested and their vehicles impounded for blocking the N3 freeway, looting trucks and firing on motorists between Van Reenen’s Pass and the Tugela Plaza. Acting CEO of the RFA, Gavin Kelly, told FTW that since the truck driver protests had first started in April last year “about 800 to 900 trucks have been destroyed”. Furthermore, said Kelly, at least five truck drivers had lost their lives and around 50 had been seriously injured. “Many drivers are scared to drive now,” he added, pointing out that many of the incidents had been marred by violent criminal acts such as bodily harm to truck drivers, trucks being burnt and looting of the goods. Kelly said the motive behind the protests was not as “cut and dried” as many had been led to believe, which is why the task team had been created to determine the real cause and thus properly address it. “The protests are going to continue with potentially more vehicles destroyed, goods looted and lives lost if we don’t address this in the right way,” he commented. Kelly said initially stakeholders had been led to believe that the blockades and protests, along with the violent criminal acts which often accompanied these incidents, were because local truck drivers were losing their jobs to foreign nationals. “Upon closer inspection it was found that some local truck drivers had been retrenched as operators needed to downsize. And frankly, some others deserved to lose their jobs,” he said, and it did not seem to be a situation where South African truck drivers had been retrenched in favour of hiring foreign drivers. Kelly conceded that there were “many fleet operators” employing foreign nationals as truck drivers but said that at least 70% of these had been used on foreign legs – Zimbabwe drivers for vehicles going into Zimbabwe and Malawians for the Malawi leg. “This is because they speak the language, know the road conditions better etc.” He said that that very often the operators would switch to South African drivers once they crossed the border again, for exactly the same reasons. Kelly further pointed out that during many protests, those protesting didn’t care whether the drivers were local or not, they simply pulled them out of the trucks and set the vehicles alight. A fleet operator who spoke to FTW on condition of anonymity agreed that “there was more to the story” than the employment of foreign nationals as drivers. “I do employ about 40% of foreigners as my drivers but I do a lot of crossborder trips and it helps having drivers who know the ropes in the neighbouring countries.” He added that none of his drivers or vehicles had been affected so far. Meanwhile, Minister of Transport, Blade Nzimande, has said he is planning a second meeting with leaders of the All Truck Drivers’ Foundation and the National Truck Drivers’ Association to address challenges facing South African truck drivers. “Guided by the law, as government we remain steadfast to resolve this issue that is beginning to bedevil the trucking industry,” he said.
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About 800 to 900 trucks have been destroyed during protests. – Gavin Kelly
