Truckers fear for safety at Beaufort West stop

Published Jan 20, 2022

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CAPE TOWN - The Beaufort West Municipality says it is ramping up interventions to respond to incidents of robberies and attacks on truck drivers passing through the town.

This is as several long distance truck drivers said they were targeted and robbed on numerous occasions when stopping or passing through.

South African Long Distance Drivers editor Afzal Hamed, said he received complaints from truck drivers on a regular basis.

“Beaufort West is very hard on truck drivers. Even the lay-bys outside the town are dangerous to stop at. Truckers stop to stretch their legs and have been assaulted there and robbed.

“Just this week a convoy of trucks were robbed.

“Police were called and they never came. One of the truckers had to hook off his trailer and had to go to the police station himself to register a case,” said Hamed.

Police in Beaufort West did not respond to queries by deadline.

A long distance truck driver detailed how the radio and batteries of his truck were stolen during a stop in the town two weeks ago.

“Nine of my colleagues and I were driving our trucks from Cape Town to Johannesburg.

“We parked overnight at the Engen Truck Stop in Beaufort West.

“I slept with the radio on, at about 3am I woke up and that’s when I realised the radio was off.

“I was surprised and when I turned on the ignition, the cluster did not display anything.

“I got out of the truck to check the battery and I almost had a heart attack when I realised that my battery was stolen and out of 10 trucks, they had stolen diesel from four of our trucks, including mine.

“I just could not believe that they did this without any of us noticing anything, but we were exhausted after driving all the way from Cape Town.

“I always used to hear about Beaufort West, I didn't believe it until it happened to me,” the truck driver said.

The municipality said they were aware of the incidents.

“There has been numerous discussions with SAPS regarding the matter as well.

“We are working on a means to curb these robberies and we are also looking at security measures in town.

“We are also looking at a truck stop, there is a tender that we have put up, but we are still busy with the judication processes and we are hoping to finalise that as soon as possible.”

ANC regional secretary, Windy Plaatjies said they supported the vision of creating a safe environment for trucks and drivers.

“The ANC supports the vision of creating a safe haven for truck drivers that overwhelmingly contribute to the economy of the town,” Plaatjies said.

Cape Times

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