Transporters on the N3 and N2 routes through the KwaZulu-Natal province have become the target of groups allegedly protesting the recent events relating to the previous president and his imprisonment.
So far – according to reports – more than 30 trucks have been destroyed (either wholly burnt out or very badly damaged), while sections of the N3 near Mooi River are still being cleared up in an attempt to get some traffic flowing.
“Why is trucking being targeted? Why should those who have nothing to do with either aggrieved party and who are just trying to ply their business (whether owners or employees), be subjected to such violence and common thuggery?” asks Road Freight Association CEO Gavin Kelly.
“We have small business owners who most probably have lost everything – their businesses, their vehicles, as well as the loads they were carrying. Their employees could very well face unemployment. This, through no fault of their own, but solely due to the wanton and indiscriminate destruction by protesters,” he added.
Kelly points out that there are companies that may well now be closed – forever – while there are cargo owners who are now looking at alternative routes through Namibia, Angola, Mozambique and even further north.
“We have lost the ‘Gateway to Africa’ status we once held. We are losing more and more transit freight through the country. Some transporters are looking at changing routes, and this affects many small economies along the route - from fuel to refreshments, support and security, while others are looking at getting out of a business that only brings tears and more tears.”
To date there have fortunately been no serious injuries or deaths.
Kelly added that the collateral damage beyond the high cost of replacing vehicles, cargoes, equipment and the road infrastructure is South Africa’s tarnished image as a safe, secure, efficient and desirable destination for trade, manufacturing, investment and development.
Tighter controls were imperative, Kelly added, calling on the minister of police, the minister of transport, and the president to take decisive action to bring the violence under control.
