Truck torched during protest in Bizana
Protesters also threatened to burn the driver.
A local truck company’s vehicle and driver were targeted by angry protesters in Bizana on Monday this week.
The truck, belonging to El Shaddai Carriers, had been heading towards Bizana when the protesters threatened the driver, who pleaded with them not to vandalise the vehicle.
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The violence was linked to a service delivery protest with community members reportedly demanding RDP houses, the tarring of gravel roads leading to Harding and Greenville as well as other services from the Mbizana Municipality.
According to the director of the trucking company, Leon Naidoo, the driver was forced to flee.
“After the demonstrators had offloaded the bricks from one trailer of the truck and had broken the windows, they told my driver if he continued to sit in the truck, both he and the truck would be set alight. That was when he fled, fearing for his life.”
The protesters had then torched the truck and punctured the back trailer’s tyres.
Mr Naidoo said the truck had been completely destroyed.
He added that taking cargo through the Eastern Cape was becoming a problem as increasingly, trucks were being vandalised and goods stolen.
A businessman from Bizana whose car had been stoned during the protest told the Herald that if the attacks continued, investors would stay away and unemployment would increase.
“Who is going to take the risk of running a business at a loss, and why must we be drawn into service delivery issues? Why don’t the protesters take their issues to those in charge instead of abusing innocent motorists?” he asked.
Police spokesman, Captain Edith Mjoko said six people, three women and three men aged between 21 and 28 years, had been arrested on charges of public violence and malicious damage to property.
“They appeared in the Bizana Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday this week and were each released on R1 000 bail.”
In a separate incident on Tuesday this week, community members in Redoubt near Bizana dug up a section of the R61 to prevent cars from using the road, apparently also as part of a service delivery protest.
No one was arrested, and protesters agreed to halt the demonstration and meet with municipal officials tomorrow (Friday) to address their complaints.
“A TLB was used to close the trench in the road and allow motorists to pass,” said Captain Mjoko.
When contacted for comment, Mbizana mayor Daniswa Mafumbatha said she was in a meeting and asked to be called back at 9am. When the call was made at the appointed time, Ms Mafumbatha’s cellphone went unanswered.
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