Glencore issues travel warning to employees due to escalating highway crime
In March 2021, mother of two and Columbus employee, Ms Faith Shabangu, was struck and killed by an oncoming motorist while fleeing an armed gang during a forced stop.
Glencore Chief Operating Officer Rassie Alberts instructed Glencore’s management to to end all meetings by 16:00, in order for employees traversing the N4 and N12, to travel during daylight.
In an internal memo to all Glencore employees, Mr Alberts said “police continue to report an increase in criminal activities and incidents on both the N12 and N4 freeways between Witbank and Johannesburg and Witbank and Pretoria.”
In the safety alert, Mr Alberts warned employees that hotspots on the N12 are in the Delmas area as-well as the Putfontein off-ramp and Daveyton areas, where groups of armed men place rocks and spikes on the freeway, forcing motorists to stop, and then rob them of their belongings.
On the N4, Mr Alberts identified areas around the Matthews Phosa off-ramp next to the KG Mall as a prominent hotspot.
He said that on April 22, live rounds were fired at a Glencore employee and his family, around 06:45 in broad daylight.
Other N4 hotspots identified by Mr Alberts include the areas between the off-ramp to Kusile Power Plant and Bronkhorstspruit, as well as around the Sasol filling station and the tollgate.
“Please avoid stopping next to the road, and when attacked, try to continue to drive to an area where it is safe to stop and call for assistance,” Mr Alberts said.
To reduce the risk for employees, Mr Alberts instructed “all meetings requiring employees to drive between these hotspots must be scheduled to finish by 16:00 latest, allowing employees sufficient time to travel before sunset.”
Locally, a number of incidents have also been reported between the Vandyksdrift and Bethal off-ramps on the N4.
In March 2021, mother of two and Columbus employee, Ms Faith Shabangu, was struck and killed by an oncoming motorist while fleeing an armed gang during a forced stop.
The gang used spike-strips to damage Ms Shabangu’s tyres around 05:00 the morning, while she was driving to work.
She was struck by a Nissan bakkie after running across the highway in an effort to escape her assailants.
Despite grave injuries, the criminals helped themselves to the victim’s cellphones, car keys and handbag.
