The IMC trucking and logistics industry to resolve ongoing protests
IMC will have report meetings to review progress on actions being implemented.
The Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) met to find solutions for escalating road blockages and protests by disgruntled South African truck drivers.
This took place on June 19 at the Department of Transport offices in Pretoria.
The committee included employment and labour minister Thulas Nxesi, transport minister Fikile Mbalula, home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi and police minister Bheki Cele.
According to transport ministry spokesperson Lwazi Khoza, the truck drivers protested because they believed that the industry was employing foreign truck drivers at the exclusion of SA drivers on a pretext of a scarcity of skilled drivers in the country.
Khoza said the transport department reported on its responsibilities on the matter and the report detailed elements of an action plan drafted to tackle the challenges from their view.
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The implementation plan consists of the following actions:
– Facilitating the appointment of the task team.
– Enforcement of the VISA requirements.
– Need for consideration of all foreign driving licences.
– Registration and compliance with labour laws.
– Registration of operators in terms of Section 45 of the National Road Traffic Act (NRTA).
– Review the traffic register number.
– Review of the cross-border road transport legislation.
– Amendment of the national road traffic regulation.
– Integrated joint multi-disciplinary law enforcement operations.
– Implementation of driver training programmes.
– Consideration of the introduction of operating licences for the industry.
Khoza said the ministries reported on various actions they had been asked to undertake.
“Both the employment and labour department as well as the home affairs department reported that the inspections and law enforcement operations have found that truck driving was an abundant skill in SA.”
She said the home affairs department had conducted over 21 joint multi-disciplinary law enforcement operations and inspections to assess the extent of use of foreign, and at times, illegal truck drivers.
“Should the need arise, members of the SAPS will be strategically deployed, especially on national roads, to enforce the law.
“These multi-disciplinary and joint enforcement operations conducted across the country saw 213 arrests of foreign drivers found to be in contravention of immigration laws with 19 of those in possession of fraudulent documents.”
Khoza said the parties agreed unanimously with the elements of the implementation plan except for the Road Freight Association’s misgivings with the introduction of operating licences (action 11).
“Each organisation participating in the process will be represented by two delegates.”
She further said report meetings will be held by the IMC to review progress on actions being implemented.
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