Tensions in the trucking industry are running high following an increase in the number of politically motivated violent protests in recent weeks which have seen over 80 trucks set alight.
With the torching of trucks rife across the country over an ongoing dispute around the employment of foreign drivers, road freight operators met to address the issue.
“Unfortunately, the trucking industry has been roped into what we believe has nothing to do with foreign drivers but a deeper political agenda,” said Sharmini Naidoo, CEO of the Road Freight Association. In April nine trucks were burnt and 35 others damaged and looted on the N3 near the Mooi River toll plaza – allegedly because the trucking industry employs foreign drivers.
The damages are estimated at more than R240 million. Early in May three Zambian-registered trucks in South Africa were set alight in yet another protest. “The protests on the N3 brought the corridor to a complete standstill, highlighting the vulnerability of the road freight industry,” said Naidoo.
“Since then trucks are being torched daily to block routes and to attract attention – it seems the more violent and militant the protest action is, the more media coverage the protesters generate.” According to Naidoo more than 80 trucks have been burnt to date while many have been stoned and even more are at risk every day.
“On May 1 a code red urgent alert went out to the trucking industry to get the trucks off the road on the N3, the N1, N11 and all the other major routes after intelligence was received that trucks would be attacked that night.” Naidoo said with police on high alert and many operators pulling their trucks off routes the attacks had been averted, but it had come at a massive cost.
“The trucking industry was held to ransom and it came at a cost of R320m to operators transporting for gain and no less than R2 billion to the economy.” Addressing the annual RFA conference held recently in the Western Cape, Naidoo said operators were working hard to find a solution to the truck attacks, but the solution could lie outside the industry.
Several political analysts have voiced concern saying the attacks were largely intended to block an arterial route to cause large-scale public havoc and chaos in an effort to hurt government rather than to protest against foreign drivers.
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The protests on the N3 brought the corridor to a complete standstill, highlighting the vulnerability of the road freight industry. – Sharmini Naidoo
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Burnt-out trucks litter the roads following recent protests in Durban.
