Scores of truck drivers stuck at checkpoints leading to Beitbridge

Scores of truck drivers are stuck at checkpoints that lead to the Beitbridge Border Post outside Musina in Limpopo.

They have not been able to process the required documentation due to the closure of some trucking companies.

Queues that stretch for five kilometres have formed at the port of entry.

Some trucking companies have temporarily closed operations following the torching of trucks in KwaZulu-Natal in a protest at the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma.

Trucks burnt on the N3 at the Mooi River Toll Plaza:

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Truck drivers Onismus Mazveni who left Durban for Zambia last Friday and Sibusiso Setheni who is travelling to Harare from Johannesburg say they’ve been no easy trips.

“I was lucky because I left Durban on Friday last week and all these incidents started maybe three days ago. I was already here only that I was being delayed because of the paperwork, it takes two, three days. Other guys are inside the truck stop they’ve been delayed because their office is not operating so it makes them delay again. I heard also the queues are being caused by the Zimbabwe side, construction that side.”

“Even to move on the roads because we don’t know what we can meet along the way. It’s ammonium nitrate and they were expecting me today but since you see the queue is not moving.”

Meanwhile, another truck driver, Andrew Tembo who is making his way to Zimbabwe from Johannesburg says he felt unsafe throughout the journey.

“Right now I’m from Joburg but I loaded the day before the strike but on the road, I was very scared because of what was happening because there were no trucks on the road. I think I have travelled for about 30 kilometers without meeting a truck coming from the opposite side so this situation, even right now I’m not stable.”

Truck drivers affected by unrest speak to SABC News:

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