Road Freight Association urges govt to take action following truck torching incidents

The Road Freight Association has cautioned that the attack on trucks along the N3 route will further hinder the move of freight from South Africa to neighbouring countries. The warning follows the burning of seven trucks in two separate incidents in KwaZulu-Natal at the weekend.

So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks nor have there been any arrests.

On Saturday night, six trucks were burnt at the Van Reenen Pass. This forced the closure of the N3 highway for about 12 hours.

Following this, other truck drivers stopped along the route and at trucking stations for fear of being attacked.

At the time, provincial police said that a group of armed men had stopped the vehicles and forced the drivers out before the vehicles were torched.

Meanwhile, police in Mpumalanga are investigating a case of malicious damage to property after five trucks were torched on the N4 in Waterval Boven. Truck drivers were attacked and robbed of their belongings on Sunday.

The N4 toll road at Waterval Boven had to be closed for almost the whole day as workers cleaned the remains of the torched trucks. The trucks were set alight after an armed group of men attacked their drivers and robbed them their belongings. The drivers ran for their lives and spent the cold night in the bushes.

Van Reenen’s pass reopened after trucks torched:

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The Road Freight Association views the burning of trucks at Van Reenen’s Pass on Saturday night as a co-ordinated attack on the road freight sector.

“The question must be asked as to who is behind this as it’s the same grouping who bemoan the employment of foreigners in the sector, if it is why they had resorted to violence once again, why they have decided to make South Africa a place where definitely people live in fear when travelling along the N3, where outside markets think twice before they want to use South Africa. The Road Freight Association has on a number of times called on government to take action. Once again, the Department of Labour needs to deal with those who are non-compliant in terms of labour laws to deal with those who employ illegal foreigners,” says Gavin Kelly, CEO.

Safety and Security chair of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Udeen Singh, says these kinds of attacks have major cost implications for the country’s economy.

“It definitely destabilises the economy and it sort of leans into possible economic terrorism if you look at (it). For example, if you stop (on) the N3 which is the busiest highway in South Africa in terms of logistics of transporting of goods – in a month, I think it is about R800 million that passes through that road of goods and services that comes through – if you burn a truck, and besides economic effects that it has on transport, but the fact is it costs the economy about R13.7 million a day,” says Singh.

Singh says the problem has ripple effect on the economy.

“If you look at it in terms of rand value in that road on its own, it has significant negative impact, not only the fact that the trucks cannot pass through, but repairing of the road,” says Singh.

KwaZulu-Natal police have put together a provincial police task team to look into the latest incident at Van Reenen’s Pass.

Provincial Police Spokesperson, Brigadier Jay Naicker, says they are taking the matter very seriously, with the Provincial Organised Crime Unit taking over the investigation.

“They have now signed for those dockets. They are looking at charges of malicious damage to property, attempted murder, as well as armed robbery at this stage. They have been given tasks, also (they) will be looking at downloading footage from various cameras that is in the vicinity there. And we are quite happy with the progress of the investigation.”

The Road Freight Association has again appealed to government to take action.

ANC president also laments the torching of trucks at Van Reenen’s Pass on the N3:

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