Truckers blockade the N3 

Truckers protesting against the hiring of foreign nationals as drivers blocked key routes to South Africa’s biggest port and the commercial hub of Johannesburg.

All lanes of traffic on the N3 highway were closed near Van Reenen in KwaZulu-Natal. Traffic has also been disrupted in the vicinity of Tweedie due to trucks blockading the Johannesburg-bound carriageway. 

Police and government departments are on the scene near Van Reenen’s Pass trying to clear the blockage, according to provincial police spokesman Brigadier Jay Naicker. 

Blockages also took place on the N3 route near the Roadside and Reitz interchange, between Warden and Villiers in central Free State, earlier this week.  

The Road Freight Association’s CEO, Gavin Kelly, said in an open letter to President Ramaphosa on Thursday that the N3 has been obstructed for more than 24 hours, with over 350 trucks on either direction of the route. ‘Our drivers are exposed to severe cold, possible violent looting or other aggravated assault and do not have the means to survive for days stranded in a truck in the middle of nowhere.’

He called on Ramaphosa to instruct the ministers of police, transport, and defence and military veterans to restore order and address the concerns of the body.

The highway’s link to Durban port is also key to shippers from many African countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The frequent challenges on key routes mean ‘we will lose trade and business to and through South Africa,’ Kelly said. ‘Our ports will become ghost towns — and the surrounding businesses relating to those activities of trade and support will close. More unemployment.’

The body estimates that the repeated disruptions may have cost the economy about R300 million.