Bees Defend Overturned Beer Truck From Looters in KZN in Viral Video, SA Makes Jokes

• South Africans had a good laugh when a swarm of bees attacked looters and members of the South African Police Service
• The incident happened in KwaZulu-Natal after a beer truck overturned on the highway
• When residents tried to loot, the bees stung them, and netizens joked about the incident
• Briefly News spoke to beekeeper and remover Brian Paine about the incident

Tebogo Mokwena, a dedicated Briefly News current affairs journalist, contributed coverage of international and local social issues like health, corruption, education, unemployment, labour, service delivery protests and immigration in South Africa during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

KWAZULU-NATAL—A swarm of bees came to the rescue of a looted truck in KwaZulu-Natal. Members of the South African Police Service were also not spared their attack.

Bees attack looters, cops

@MDNnewss posted a video on X. The incident happened in KwaDukuza, KwaZulu-Natal. It's unclear when the incident took place. In the video, the narrator notes that bees are attacking the community and police members on the scene.

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A police officer runs from the scene, battling to keep the bees from attacking her. A few members of the community who tried to loot the truck escaped. They, too, try to fight the bees.

Watch the video here:

Bee expert speaks to Briefly News

Brian Paine from Bushveld Bees, a KwaZulu-Natal-based company that specialises in bee products and removals, told Briefly News what could have happened. He said bees attack people to defend themselves or their resources. He said bees are not aggressive and are defensive.

"If they have honey in a hive and a badger or bird scratches open the hive, the bees go on a sting rampage because they are trying to defend the wax, which is their reserves. People who cut grass near a beehive will get stung," he said.

Why do bees sting?

He said people get stung when they cut grass because when flowers are cut, the bees smell the tannin released after the flower is cut down. Their resources are threatened in this instance, prompting them to defend their food source.

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He added that if a beehive was next to the road where the truck fell over, which may have damaged it, the bees would attack to defend their hive, their queens, bees their eggs.

"Another possibility is if a bee was looking for a liquid nearby and someone squatted the bee, a scent released by the squashed bees alerts them that they are being attacked. KwaZulu-Natal does have a fair amount of wild and agricultural bees, which are dwindling in numbers," he said.

What the public should do

He said people are advised not to spray anything on them or aggravate them.

"Leave the area if they haven't been excited. If they start stinging, climb inside a car and deal with the smaller numbers. The best thing is to leave the area and call your nearest beekeeper or bee farmers' association," he said.

Looting incidents in 2024

• Cape Town residents looted a Simba Chips truck in Uitsig in July, and the incident went viral
• The following month, Mpumalanga residents looted an atchaar truck that overturned on the road
• In October, residents of Magabeni in KwaZulu-Natal looted a meat truck

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South Africans make jokes

Netizens laughed at the video and the victims.

Tebogo Koma said:

"We need those bees at the northern border between SA and Zimbabwe."

ALootaContinua said:

"BEE that actually works."

JN said:

"Simple and so effective. CIT companies, couriers etc., should maybe look into this. They can create bee armies."

Jarryd said:

"These companies should start transporting bees with their shipments."

StheMbhazo asked:

"Where is the driver coming from? I want him to come work at my workshop."

Looters prevent EMS from assisting accident victims

In a similar article, Briefly News wrote that residents of an Eastern Cape community prevented emergency personnel from attending an accident scene. An accident happened on the R72 near King Phalo Airport.

While emergency personnel tried to make their way to the accident scene, motorists and community members flocked to the overturned truck. They looted its contents, and South Africans slammed them.

Source: Briefly News