Trucks burnt, driver attacked near Emgwenya

Beaten and bloodied and left at the roadside in near-freezing temperatures without a jacket, a truck driver watched in horror as armed men set his truck alight.

A Stols Vervoer Group truck driver, Lorrizo Qakeka, was one of five men who was robbed and had their trucks torched on the N4 near Emgwenya late on Sunday evening, July 9.

Qakeka said he had been transporting citrus bound for KwaZulu-Natal when about eight men jumped out from the roadside and began throwing stones and firing shots at his truck. He attempted a getaway, but was forced to stop the truck when he reached a section of the road where it would have been dangerous for him to speed up, and could not get away from the gunmen.

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“They demanded I give them my phone and wallet, which I told them I had lost. I was instructed to get out of the truck, and when I told them I wanted to take my jacket, they started beating me, demanding that I run.”

He said he could see the men carrying containers of petrol, and knew then they were going to burn the truck. “I left them with the truck and ran for my life. I tried to warn other drivers to make a U-turn if they could, or stop and run for their lives. The robbers used my truck to block the road and stop the four other trucks. Other drivers managed to escape with their belongings, but some were not so lucky. They torched the trucks with petrol after they searched them and stole whatever they could.”

He said the robbers were speaking isiZulu, and he thought they could be from KZN. He said he and the other drivers spent the night in the rain and sleet without warm clothes, while watching their trucks go up in flames. He added that some of the drivers even had their papers confiscated by the gunmen.

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A provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, said in a statement five robbers had arrived at the scene, in a bakkie and a sedan. He said the police have since launched an investigation of malicious damage to property. He added that the motive behind the incident was unclear. No arrests have been made at this stage.

At least 21 trucks across the country have been set on fire in the past week. This includes an incident in which four trucks were burnt on the N2 between eMkhondo and Ermelo early on July 12.

An owner of Stols Vervoer Group, Ivan Stols, told Lowvelder that the loss of the truck at Emgwenya, with the load, totalled over R1m.
“It has had a devastating impact on the transport industry and will have a negative impact on the economy. The safety of the drivers is also a major concern,” he said. “This is industrial sabotage.”

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Stols said they had opened a case of attempted murder, assault and malicious damage to property.

The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) released a statement on Tuesday, condemning the incidents. “This is an attack on our members and workers in the sector. The union is, more than anything else, worried about the safety of its members. It is very clear the truck drivers are not safe at all in this country. It could have been worse – these drivers could have lost their lives,” said the statement.

It said road freight is one of the biggest transport sectors that contributes billions of rands to the economy. “Satawu is also very concerned that the motivate behind this brutality is still unknown.”

It urged the government to address these incidents, and for law enforcement agencies to investigate all the cases. It also urged transport employers to work with the union regarding the matter.

Satawu said while it did not want to speculate on the reason behind the attacks, it urged transporters to prioritise South Africans in the freight industry, and said it is against companies ‘hiring illegal immigrants with no proper documents’.