​In response to the growing incidents of attacks and burning of trucks, Ministers and senior managers of the departments of Employment and Labour, Home Affairs, Police, Transport and State Security, together with the Premier of KZN – one of the major hotspots – engaged this week to adopt a comprehensive response to this criminal activity. This includes the following:

 

• Continued monitoring and intelligence gathering by the security cluster on the origin and nature of these attacks

 

 

• Targeting certain areas, expanding resources to optimise their impact on the ground and this has already resulted in a number of arrests of some of the perpetrators this week

 

 

• Unveiling some extensive cross-cutting joint measures by our departments and we hope South Africans will understand some of them are likely to inconvenience you

 

 

• Continuous engagement with all identified parties and communication on new developments

 

 

• The twelve-member Inter-Ministerial Committee established by the President and convened by the Minister of Employment and Labour and Home affairs to amongst others review policy, legislation and regulation in matters of migration and employment has done extensive work in this area. The President will make pronouncement as soon as cabinet has been briefed on progress to date.

 

The attacks on, and burning of trucks, has again peaked in recent days with thirteen such incidents taking place in the last month. Between April and November 2020, some 84 attacks have been recorded.

The criminal acts we have witnessed have a number of elements:

 

• Labour issues – has to do with disturbing emerging tendencies by some employers displacing South African truck drivers with foreign nationals and subsequent sporadic actions of torching of trucks by those affected in an attempt to get government to take actions against foreign truck drivers. The matter is very complex as we have truck drivers that in possession of valid documents and legally in the country and those that are undocumented and irregular.

 

 

• Business issues: Ownership of trucks, tenders and contracts and competition between companies for lucrative routes are emerging as challenges that are introducing new set of dynamics

 

The Minister of Employment and Labour, the chair of the IMC said:

"These attacks are criminal acts, and government has zero tolerance towards this economic sabotage. Government will not tolerate acts, which disrupt business and in turn destroy livelihoods. The transport industry is a catalyst to economic growth and job creation and truck drivers are amongst workers whose work takes them across borders. We are working very hard to establish harmonious relations with other SADC countries to facilitate orderly movement of people, including truck drivers and goods across our borders."

Minister Nxesi also added that South Africa is the leading services destination, a regional manufacturing hub and most industrialised country in Africa.

"Attacks on trucks which deliver goods which are the lifeblood of South Africa’s and the region’s economy, must be condemned in the strongest terms possible. Government is committed to the transformation and stabilization of the road freight and logistics industry - a critical sector for growing the economy.

"As the SADC region strives to take up the opportunities available through the soon to be operational African Continental Free Trade Area, attacks on our transport infrastructure only serve to undermine our economic reconstruction and recovery efforts.

"The African Continental Free Trade Area will boost intra-African trade and create a market of more than one-billion people with a GDP of $2.6 trillion that will unlock industrial development. If we are to take advantage of these opportunities, we need a safe, secure and well-functioning freight and transport industry," said Minister Nxesi.

South Africa has several trade agreements that provide an export platform into global markets and also serves as a gateway to African markets.

The Minister further called on all stakeholders to get involved in the effort to stem this criminality. "We want to ensure that everyone’s rights are protected including legal and undocumented migrant workers as per our Constitution. We acknowledge that people have lost lives in this and we appeal to everyone to work towards saving lives. We also acknowledge the contribution of long haul trucking, which, like mining has sustained our economy through thick and thin.

"We also appeal to those employers who are using foreign nationals as cheap labour to stop this practice. It has no place in our country and region. We also strongly condemn the destruction of property and our law enforcement agencies will deal harshly with anyone who has been found to be involved in criminal acts," the Minister added.

ISSUED BY: Joint team from Departments of Employment and Labour, Home Affairs, Police and Transport

For more information contact:

Musa Zondi:　 Acting Spokesperson: Employment and Labour

Siya Qoza: Home Affairs Ministry Spokesperson 082　898 1657

Lirandzu Themba: Police Ministry Spokesperson　 082　604 9080