A cross-border transporter is pursuing two cases of assault with the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Komatipoort after two tip-truck drivers were beaten by taxi officials ‘regulating’ the ore truck queue on the N4 near the Lebombo Border Post.
This was confirmed to Freight News by Bright Zingeni, general manager of Karan Investment.
Zingeni said his drivers had picked up loads at the Nkomati Anthracite Mine meant for export through the Port of Maputo on Sunday afternoon when they were stopped at the Mananga Road (R571) intersection with the N4.
A video taken by a motorist shows how one of the tippers drives into a “taxi patrol” vehicle in the oncoming lane of the highway before coming to a standstill.
The footage was taken when one of Karan’s drivers tried to get away from a potentially dangerous situation after seeing what had happened to his colleague, Zingeni said.
“He was fearing for his life when he saw how the other driver got beaten with a sjambok.”
Both drivers had been assaulted by taxi officials before being taken to the police station in Komatipoort where they had stayed overnight, he said.
It’s not clear whether they were taken into custody because of bad driver behaviour.
Zingeni said: “The one driver is badly beaten and should really have been taken to hospital, but he’s still at the police station.”
Although ore truck drivers are not supposed to use the Mananga Road, he said he had no alternative as the R571 was the best road for him to follow to the border.
However, a source from the logistics industry who runs a fleet of tippers said ore drivers were not supposed to use the Mananga Road as it was not meant to be used by heavy trucks.
Local agricultural association representative, Cobus Botha, confirmed this, saying the R571 was not built for heavy loads.
“The Mananga Road is really there for the agricultural community and the heaviest trucks allowed to use it are sugarcane trucks weighing about 54 tonnes. Abnormal carriers such as ore trucks weigh about 65 tonnes and shouldn’t be on that road.”
Another source from Komatipoort, who used to be in law enforcement, said unless Karan Investment had special permission to use the Mananga Road, which was highly unlikely, they must use the Jeppes Reef Road in the opposite direction of the R571.
“The real reason why they don’t want to use that road is they don’t want to fall in the back of the queue on the N4. So they look for an excuse to use the Mananga Road, which goes through several rural communities such as Kamaqhekeza and Naas.
“Besides which, you can clearly see in the video that the ore truck is on the wrong side of the road.”
The source said the reason why Karan’s truck was stopped was because of ongoing queue-skipping by some tip truck operators using the Mananga Road to bypass the line of tippers waiting to get to the border.
He said although the vigilante-style justice meted out for bad driver behaviour shouldn’t be condoned, the Komatipoort community was living in fear because of what was happening on the N4.
“And the traffic police are doing nothing. We’ve been told that trucks will be impounded, and heavy fines will be issued. We haven’t seen any of that. So taxi officials pulling drivers over because of adding to the chaos we see on the N4 is the only kind of effective ‘law enforcement’ we’re seeing at the moment.”
The source said he had spoken to local traffic chief Enoch Sifunda about officers not controlling traffic and sometimes even ‘facilitating’ bad driver behaviour by taking bribes, “but Sifunda says there is nothing he can do.
“Apparently, when he talks to traffic officers about allegations made against them, they go behind his back to the provincial department saying he’s intimidating them.”
Botha, who has moved his family out of the agricultural area south of the N4 into Komatipoort itself for reasons of safety, among others, said: “Sifunda’s hands are tied. The N4 is national jurisdiction and there’s not much he can do.
“The fact remains that there are many trucking companies that are doing whatever they want to get through the border without wanting to stand in the queue. They use roads that are not meant for such heavy loads, and they destroy infrastructure meant for agricultural communities.
“Authorities have said they will take action, but nothing has happened; this is in spite of a traffic police officer losing his life earlier this year when he was run over by an ore truck.
“We’ve been raising concern about the safety of our families on our roads given the danger posed by bad trucking behaviour, but nothing is being done.”
- Sifunda could not be reached for comment. Taxi association representative Joseph Ntamele could not comment at the time Freight News spoke to him. To date, the SAPS has also failed to reply following Friday’s post about the lack of law enforcement on the N4 at the border. Read that story here: "Lebombo border lawlessness committed in full view of police – transporter."
