Truck shutdown across 3 provinces: Did it really happen with no disruptions?

On Sunday, the All Truck Drivers Forum and Allied South Africa (ATDF ASA) organised a road freight national shutdown across several routes, including N3, the N11 highway to Newcastle, M4 and M7, N2 and N34. The Citizen reported that the shutdown demanded improved working conditions for truck drivers and an end to labour brokers and asked trucking companies to set the basic salary at R37,000. Despite sporadic disturbances, the police responded quickly, and there were no reports of violence, according to the CEO of the Road Freight Association (RFA), Gavin Kelly. However, the RFA emphasised that truckers must exercise the right to protest responsibly. The shutdown happened in Mpumalanga, KZN and Eastern Cape. ATDF ASA secretary, Sifiso Nyathi, said it was 70% successful due to a lack of unity among truck drivers.

On Monday, Kelly reported no significant delays, despite a few cases of protestors coercing drivers into parking. Kelly expressed confidence that any further protests would remain peaceful, enabling those who choose to continue to keep the logistics supply chain running. In other provinces, truckers continued to close down major roads. However, KZN Road Transport Inspectorate spokesperson Zinhle Mngomezulu reported no significant delays on provincial highways. In addition, Durban Metro police spokesperson Boysie Zungu verified that there had been no disruptions in Durban close to the truck stops and the ports.

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Picture: Facebook / rsatrucker