National Shutdown: Truck Drivers on the N3 Fear for Their Lives
- Truck drivers who usually drive on the N3 highway have shared their concerns about a possible national shutdown
- They say that they are scared for their lives as they have seen how trucks had been targeted by protestors in the previous unrest
- Truck drivers have also shared their concerns about not being able to work should the national shutdown proceed
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DURBAN- As threats of a second wave of unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng continue to circulate, truck drivers who usually operate on the N3 highway are said to be fearful for their lives.
While truck drivers fear that they may be targeted again as they were during the first unrest that happened in July, they have stated that they will continue to work, according to a report by SABC News.
Source: Getty Images
One truck driver, Skhosana Mathiyane, told the publication that he was scared for his life does not feel safe. He added that during the previous unrest, he was forced to stay in Durban because the N3 was shut down.
In addition to fearing for their lives, Khetha Manqele said the previous violent protests meant that their pay cheques were cut because they couldn't work. Manqele feared that it would happen again if the national shutdown proceeded as planned.
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Not only will the shutdown negatively impact them as truck drivers, Manqele warned South Africans that if trucks are not operating it would lead to a food shortage because they can't make their deliveries.
Early morning protests in KZN reportedly thwarted
Authorities scattered a number of protestors in Durban on Monday, 23 August. Reports revealed that a group had set debris alight and scattered it along the main motorway of Umgeni Road in the city.
The demonstrators blocked roads with the debris and tyres in the early hours of the morning. The South African Police Service (SAPS) and Community Policing Forum (CPF) patrol members dispersed the protestors before things got worse.
Dianne Kohler-Barnard, Democratic Alliance's Shadow Security Minister, confirmed that a vehicle was burnt and proceeded to slam the SAPS for their alleged slow response, according to The South African.
No disturbances reported in Gauteng
While disturbances were reported in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng seems to have been relatively calm on Monday, 23 August.
The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department said the major roads such as highways and freeways showed no signs of unrest, however, the JMPD would continue to be vigilant should anything transpire, according to a report by TimesLIVE.
National shutdown: Possible planned protest has law enforcement on high alert
Briefly News earlier reported that various safety measures are being put in place by authorities who are reportedly on 'high alert'. The cause for concern comes from the spreading of a number of social media messages in which a national shutdown is threatened.
The measures will help make sure that South Africans are safe and out of harm if a national lockdown does take place. Lieutenant Colonel Robert Netshiunda, the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJOINTS) spokesperson, stated that they were aware of messages pushing for violence circulating on social media.
According to News24, Netshiunda went on to explain that the people who are the originators of the messages are being warned that the incitement of violence is indeed a criminal offence and members of the public have been requested to stop forwarding the messages.
Source: Briefly News
