“This Is How You Do It”: SA Woman in Italy Praises Truck Drivers’ Protest

• A South African woman living in Italy posted a TikTok praising Italian truck drivers who blockaded highways across the south of the country
• The drivers were protesting soaring diesel costs and demanded emergency government subsidies, causing empty shelves and fuel shortages
• South Africans in the comments drew comparisons to their own country's freight struggles and debated whether a similar protest could work at home

A South African woman living in Italy stopped to share her take on a major transport strike that brought parts of the country's south to a near-complete halt. @mishkahv posted a passionate TikTok on 25 October 2026, urging the world to take notes on how to protest.

In the clip, she explained that petrol stations had run dry, supermarket shelves had emptied, and large parts of southern Italy were at a standstill. Italian truck drivers had parked their rigs along major highways, blocking motorway exits, fuel distribution centres, and warehouses to force the government to act on the rising cost of living.

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"The people who keep this country moving are also the people who have the power to bring it to its knees," she said. "This is how you protest and this is how you make greedy corrupt politicians scared."

She closed the video by switching to Italian, telling the people of southern Italy that she was proud to live among brave and courageous people who deserved all her respect.

Italian Government responds with emergency relief

The protest was triggered by skyrocketing diesel prices that left commercial freight operators unable to cover operating costs. In Naples, the disruption was severe, with waste collection halted, fuel shortages reported, and medical staff struggling to reach hospitals.

According to reports, the Italian council of ministers responded by approving an emergency decree providing more than one hundred million euros in fuel tax credits for freight operators, alongside separate relief packages for farmers and fishing fleets. While many drivers in regions like Sicily and Calabria began dismantling blockades following talks, authorities mobilised police escorts to move essential supplies past remaining barriers.

Watch the video that sparked the debate below:

Mzansi weighs in on the protest

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South Africans in the comments section on the TikTok page were quick to connect the situation to their own country's reality:

@NarimanM wrote:

"South Africa we need to fight for our rights, together!!! We have the power!"

@ItsQue said:

"South African doesn't quite understand its power and what that looks like as a united front. Problem is we're constantly being distracted with politics that divide us. They know exactly what they're doing and we fall for it EVERY TIME"

@Fowzia Abrahams added:

"Most South Africans literally cannot afford not to work for any period of time and we need to be mindful of that when suggesting protests like this here."

@zamoh@DarkAngel noted:

"South Africans can do this; the problem is we have neighbours who will undermine the struggles of the working class."

@Nolen admitted:

"Why did I think this girl is South African?"

@lazo said:

"I got lost in her Italian South African Cape Town accent."

More on South African protests and shutdowns

• Briefly News recently reported that Dr Cornè Mulder defended anti-illegal immigration protests, drawing divided reactions from South Africans.
• Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma called for an N3 shutdown over Home Affairs’ online asylum application plans and said she would approach truck drivers.
• The SANDF was deployed to Durban as e-hailing drivers took to the streets in a motorcade protest.

Source: Briefly News