At least 100 Zambian truck drivers have lost their jobs after companies have had to close operations amid escalating xenophobic violence.
This is according to Stanley Muluka, president of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Truck Drivers’ Association. He was quoted by Zambia’s online newspaper, Tumfweko News, as saying that many drivers had been dismissed but others had simply resigned out of fear of driving in South Africa.
He said most of the drivers had been employed by two South African logistics companies, known to FTW Online, which deliver goods into Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The demise of one company – founded 22 years ago, in 1997 – was confirmed in a letter issued by the company that was widely distributed on social media over the weekend, including by the SA Long-distance Truckers (Salt) group on Facebook.
In the letter, a company official stated: “Regret the last 17 days of no movement of our trucks due to the threat of xenophobia, and no visible measures whatsoever by the South African Police Service has taken its toll.”
She added that, sadly, after 22 years in business, the company had no choice but to close its operations with “immediate effect”. FTW Online reached out to the company for further comment but had not heard from them before going to print.
On the Salt Facebook group, Deshan Asiragadu, the MD of Kagiso Tarp & Net, commented: “This is truly a shame. I've had the privilege of being a supplier to [the company] for more than 10 years. You will struggle to find people within the transport industry with more integrity than the owners.”
He went on to say that his business would not be where it is today without the support of that company. “It is not just the staff that suffer from this, but think about all their suppliers and their families. The entire economy of South Africa hurts.”
Another transport company representative spoke to FTW Online, on condition of anonymity, saying that he had lost close to R30 million in business amid the violence. “I don’t know how I am going to pay salaries this month with no cash flow to speak of,” he said.
The Federation of Regional Road Freight Associations (Fesarta) has stated in a blog on its website that it is believed that 213 drivers – mostly foreign nationals – have lost their lives, and that about 1 400 trucks have been burnt, damaged and/or destroyed, including their cargoes, at an estimated cost of R1.2 billion or R3.3 million per day over the past year.
