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President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the ongoing truck attacks across the country, as two more trucks were set ablaze on the N12 at the Etwatwa exit ramp, near Daveyton in Gauteng, while another was shot Wednesday morning. .
At least 25 trucks caught fire last week and a driver was killed after being shot in an incident.
In a statement Wednesday morning, Ramaphosa said he had ordered the ministers of Employment and Labor, Transport, Interior and Police to submit a report on the attacks.
“As South Africans, we cannot tolerate the senseless and bloody anarchy with which the trucking industry is being attacked,” Ramaphosa said.
“We cannot tolerate this loss of life and destruction of property.”
To turn off
According to All Truck Drivers Forum and Allied South Africa (ATDFASA), a nationwide shutdown, scheduled for November 23 to November 25, was a protest against the employment of foreign drivers in the South African trucking industry.
“Truckers prefer foreign drivers because they do not want to comply with the labor law and with the main collective agreement of the NBCRFLI [National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics Industry] because foreign drivers are cheap labor for them and they work like slaves with long hours because foreign drivers do not complain, “the organization said previously.
“We, as ATDFASA, have talked about this for over three years but no changes have been made and the same problem continues.”
Waiting for information about drivers pic.twitter.com/BG6ECHGWks
– Trucker from SA (@rsa_trucker) November 25, 2020
R554 near the N3 at Engen Garage – The truck driver was shot by an unknown number of people, the truck driver managed to escape unscathed. pic.twitter.com/CVIWmefLL1
– Trucker from SA (@rsa_trucker) November 25, 2020
‘Economic sabotage’
Economist Mike Schussler said The citizen that the ongoing attacks on trucks would become a chain reaction as insurances skyrocket and drivers start demanding dangerous payments in an already troubled economy.
He also doubts that the government has the political capital to tackle the problem. He often worked with the transportation industry and spoke with all stakeholders on a regular basis.
Schussler also disagreed with the NBCRFLI’s argument regarding foreign drivers: “It is a ruse or ploy for people trying to create jobs for themselves and others. They drive away truck drivers and then offer their jobs to others who have to pay them for the jobs. The NBCRFLI already got their lawyers to write to them. “
READ MORE: Burning trucks is ‘economic sabotage’, says economist
Truck hijacking
On Tuesday, police arrested three suspects believed to be involved in the hijacking of a courier truck in West Rand.
According to Captain Kay Makhubele, West Rand K9 police received information to be on the lookout for a vehicle believed to be involved in the hijacking of the courier truck in West Rand.
While K9 members were on patrol, they identified the VW Polo Classic vehicle on Main Reef Road toward Johannesburg with three occupants inside.
“There was a chase and the suspects started shooting at the police; the police responded to the fire and managed to intercept the vehicle. The vehicle was subsequently searched and the stolen property, believed to have been stolen from the hijacked truck, was recovered in the vehicle; the three suspects, aged 34, 39 and 45, have been arrested.
Also read: UPDATE: Murder case opened after driver died, more trucks set on fire (video)
“During the arrest, the police also confiscated two unlicensed firearms believed to have been used in the commission of the hijacking of the truck. The firearms will be subjected to ballistic tests to determine if they could be related to other crimes committed, ”said Makhubele.
The suspects face one count of truck hijacking and possession of firearms without a license.
They are expected to appear soon at the Roodepoort Magistrates Court.
(Additional information from News24).
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