“It’s the Quietness… It’s really very strange…Quietness on the roads… Quietness in the town…”
These are the comments of long-distance truckers Macfarlane Sedibe and Hector Radebe on life under lockdown.
“We are often totally alone on the road – occasionally we see a car or truck. In all our years of driving, we have never experienced this before.”
“Since lockdown, I have not even seen one taxi on the road – now that’s really strange!” says Sedibe.
Their work as truck drivers takes them around the country – to all provinces, with the exception of the Western Cape. They spend many hours a week in their cabs. When travelling to places such as Upington in the Northern Cape, they can spend up to six days in their cabs.
Because of the quietness, they are nervous to stop during their daily travels. “It is eerie, this extreme calm. It’s like we are waiting for something to happen, but nothing ever does.”
Sedibe lives with his wife and three children who are 14, seven, and four years of age. “My children know a lot about the virus,” he says. “We watch the news all the time – we don’t even watch soapies anymore. The news is on all the time.”
Radebe, who also has three children, all adults, adds: “Every time I leave for work, my children say to me: ‘Daddy, please be careful, please wear your protective clothing – your gloves and mask - and remember to sanitise!’”
“We are part of essential services and are proud to be able to deliver food to our principals and customers,” says the drivers who are employed by Vector Logistics.