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The All Truck Drivers Foundation and MK veterans marched through Durban demanding that no truck with a South African license plate should be driven by a foreign national. (Photo: Nokulunga Majola)
Durban truckers demand that only South Africans be allowed to drive goods. At the same time, an African solidarity group has called on the ANC to call the “xenophobic MK veterans” to order.
First Posted by GroundUp
On Monday, members of the All Truck Drivers Foundation and the uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) marched in Durban, calling for the deportation of foreigners.
Dumisani Ngcobo, treasurer of the Durban branch of the All Truck Drivers Forum, said they submitted a memorandum to the Transnet Port Authority at the Bayhead Road entry point with an ultimatum that no South African license plate trucks should enter the port if it is driven by a foreigner. national after December 1.
Five people were arrested for public violence during the protest and will soon appear in court, according to KwaZulu-Natal police spokesman Capt. Nqobile Gwala.
Two weeks ago, MKMVA members closed foreign-owned businesses in Durban. Several people were injured and shops were looted.
Daniel Dunia, Executive Director of Africa Solidarity Network, said: “We need xenophobic MK veterans who are involved in criminal activities of looting, intimidation and harassment to be arrested and face the power of the law.
“We need the eThekwini municipality to step in and address the situation and we need the ANC to call their colleagues to order.”
Garemu Askowu, who owns a store on Pine Street, said the immigrants lived in fear. His store was looted two weeks ago by members of MKMVA.
“These people are living a better life than many South Africans in our own country,” said Zibuse Cele, MKMVA coordinator.
“They are receiving benefits like social, pension and disability benefits when many of our people are rejected. South Africans must be the top priority in everything because this is our country “
“We have qualified people who are unemployed and students who are looking for work, but they are not getting opportunities because the jobs are given to foreigners,” Cele said.
He blamed the homeless people who joined the protest for the violence and looting and claimed that they had acted this way because they were on “drugs brought in by foreigners”.
MKMVA KwaZulu-Natal Provincial President Themba Mavundla said: “When we were fighting for our country, we went to other African countries where they put us in camps, but we didn’t have businesses like they do in this country.”
In a statement, KZN Prime Minister Sihle Zikalala called for calm and a peaceful resolution to the truckers’ concerns.
He said the departments of labor and interior are currently involved in a process of developing legislation that will address the employment of non-South Africans in all sectors of the economy, including the transport of goods by road.
“However, we must reiterate that we will not allow anarchy to threaten our economy, even more so as we emerge from the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Therefore, we call on those who have complaints to work with us and not close our roads, torch trucks or even resort to attacking truck drivers as has happened before,” said Zikalala. DM
