Editor – Please let me explain something about the truck drama that took place in Mooi River over the weekend.
I know people are angry, but driving a truck is very dangerous.
It is a job that keeps South Africa working and is the lifeblood of our country.
I am writing to let your readers know what kind of a life truck drivers lead.
They are all ordinary workers who make their employers rich but who carry the risk.
I have a son who drives a horse and trailer all over parts of Africa and not only in this country. He has been driving from the age of 20. This is his 25th year as a driver and in all those years, he has not been involved in a single accident by the grace of Jesus Christ and St Christopher.
My son has a clean record, but his years of service ruined his marriage and the lives of his two little boys.
My son does not know what decent sleep is. He travels for days on end under terrible conditions and one never knows if he will return home with all the protests that are going on all over the country.
These drivers are abused on the road by drivers of smaller cars, simply because they don’t understand the difficulty in driving these huge trucks.
Many foreigners are hired because they are good.
Not all of SA drivers are bad, but driving a taxi and driving a long truck and trailer is not the same.
Another thing people don’t realise is that truck drivers drive for long hours without proper bathing facilities. They eat junk food and drink gallons of cool drink.
They even sleep in their cabs and fear criminals, who rob them of valuables.
They have no time for their wife and children. They cannot be normal men and husbands or fathers.
These people who are burning trucks are misguided. I can assure you that a very small percentage of drivers are foreigners. Maybe five in a hundred.
It’s because they are paid less than their South African comrades and in many cases are more reliable.
I have accompanied my son on many trips and I can assure you it’s a dog’s life.
Please don’t blame the drivers for the recent debacle. There is another force that is fuelling this matter.
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