A KwaZulu-Natal freight company owner has been arrested for employing an undocumented foreign truck driver as authorities intensify enforcement in the transport sector.
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport and Human Settlements Siboniso Duma said Road Traffic Inspectorate officers had intercepted one of the company’s trucks in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday.
The owner subsequently signed an admission-of-guilt fine of R2 500 for contravening sections 38 and 49(3) of the Immigration Act.
According to Duma, 12 undocumented foreign truck drivers were arrested during the weekend’s #NenzaniLaEzweni operation, up from an earlier total of eight.
The operation involved the Department of Home Affairs’ Immigration Unit, the Department of Employment and Labour, the South African Police Service and several municipalities, including Msunduzi, uMshwathi, Mkhambathini and Richmond.
“For a very long time, we have been warning the freight and logistics industry that there will be severe consequences for those employing undocumented foreign nationals,” Duma said.
He alleged that some employers deliberately used cheaper labour and circumvented statutory working conditions, contributing to tension and instability in the sector.
Duma further alleged that some transport company owners gave foreign truck drivers money to bribe traffic officers and that certain drivers travelled at night and used particular routes to avoid detection. He did not provide details of any arrests or charges arising from these allegations.
