WATCH VIDEO: No major disruptions reported during widely touted truck strike
Except for a few disruptions, trucking continued as per normal on Sunday
NKOMAZI – The threatened disruption of truck traffic failed to materialise in the Lowveld on Sunday after threats from the All Truck Drivers Foundation (ATDF) to disrupt it countrywide. Yet ATDF chief commander, Cosmos Shoba confirmed that the disruptions would continue yesterday.
“We will close Komatipoort, Lydenburg and Steelpoort. We sat down with the trucking companies last week over the employment of foreigners over South African drivers and 55 agreed to release foreign drivers from their employ. We want to send a message to government that it cannot be that South African drivers are unemployed while foreigners are given jobs.”
“How were they hired because they were issued with Z EP permits for work and study, not driving. These ‘driving’ permits they have are fake.”
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He added that jobs in the country should be reserved for South Africans. He was not sure whether the action would continue today. While videos appeared on social media showing trucks burning and a few parked on the N12 on Sunday, the planned strike action did not affect Nkomazi Toll Gate, Jeppes Reef and Lebombo border posts.
Local security companies, Securicon and MBM Protection, increased visibility in the Onderberg and additional spotter vehicles patrolled the N4. Mpumalanga SAPS spokesman, Brig Leonard Hlathi said the trucks did not barricade the roads and were moved from Malalane to Steelpoort and then on to Lydenburg.
Yesterday morning, he confirmed that all roads in and to the Lowveld were clear. Reports filtered in of sporadic attacks on trucks in the province, with a number suggesting that trucks belonging to Reinhardts Transport Group (RTG) being burned, allegedly by protesting drivers.
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Attempts to contact RTG to determine the veracity of these claims were unsuccessful at the time of going to press.
Beverley Short, from the National Truck Drivers’ Foundation, said on Sunday evening following reports of violent incidents against truck drivers, “We do not know what is happening, because we have no involvement in the strike.”
