Seven thousand container deliveries are made through South African ports per day. The Port of Durban attends to roughly 4 000 containers a day. Picture: Arrive Alive Facebook
Western Cape officials are on high alert following truck attacks across the country.
Following arson attacks in various provinces, the SANDF has been deployed to Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State.
At least 21 trucks have been torched since last week.
Ntomboxolo Makoba-Somdaka, head of the ministry of the Western Cape Mobility Department, said they have not yet received any threats of attacks in the Western Cape.
“We have, however, alerted provincial traffic to be vigilant at our weigh-bridges, truck stops and resting areas along major routes.”
Truck driver Brendan Smith said while he has never been a victim of crime on the road, he is always on alert.
“There is simply an upward curve. The current attacks on trucks is something that is always in the back of our minds, and it would be foolish to be too comfortable and expect that this will not happen to you.”
When asked what the reason for the attacks might be, Smith said there was a lot of speculation.
“Everyone is speculating about the reasons, and it is generally accepted that it is about the foreigners, who are employed at lower wages, that deprive South Africans from these employment opportunities.”
Jaco Minnaar, president of Agri SA, expressed their concerns about the violent criminal attacks on trucks in South Africa, particularly those in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga in recent days.
He said: “In its dire economic situation, South Africa simply cannot afford to surrender vital export revenue to uncontrolled criminal activity. That is why Agri SA is calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has reportedly called the attacks economic sabotage, to deploy the SANDF in support of the police to protect major transportation routes.”
Minnaar said it was a matter of urgency to protect truck drivers from acts of violence and to safeguard the valuable cargo they transport, which includes agricultural goods.
Gavin Kelly, CEO of the Road Freight Association, said trucks carried 80% of goods that were moved in and around South Africa, as well as for those countries that trade with international markets and use South African ports for import and export.
“At this point, no group has acknowledged that they are responsible. If this is the same grouping that has been behind such attacks across the country over the past six years, then action needs to be taken.”
Kelly added if this was, indeed, the work of the All Truck Drivers Foundation (ATDF) and its counterparts relating to the employment of illegal foreigners in the road freight (or any other) sector, then the Department of Employment and Labour and its inspection structures must ensure that their responsibility to protect employees and employers from non-compliant labour practices are strictly and swiftly applied.
ATDF secretary Sifiso Nyathi said it had signed agreements with the logistics sector and the transport and labour department to raise drivers’ grievances and confront the problem of logistics operators not complying with labour regulations.
“We condemn what’s happening. We don’t support it. As ATDF, we have voiced our grievances with the Department of Labour and Transport and with various ministers since 2018, but it’s still the same. These people employ foreigners. They are not operating within the regulations of industry, no one is pointing a finger at them.”
Nyathi said a statement would be released today.
Weekend Argus