TRUCK drivers have been left frustrated that they could not complete their trips in time due to the closure of the N3 highway in KwaZulu-Natal due to protests.
Mbuso Buthelezi, a truck driver for Isipingo-based company, said that he was on his way back to Durban from Johannesburg on Friday night when the eruption of the protest action halted his trip.
Buthelezi, who drives the Durban-Johannesburg and Johannesburg-North West route, said that their lives were always in danger, particularly in areas like Mooi River where surrounding communities have made trucks that traverse the route a target.
He said that when he saw trucks burning he was forced to make a U-turn before the Mooi River Toll Plaza and head to the Estcourt Truck Stop for safety, but this was compromised by action that started erupting in Estcourt and he returned to Mooi River to park his truck at the Mooi River Truck Stop.
“Our employers do not even care about our safety, all they want is their trucks and cargo on the roads and when you are on the road in situations like these you’re risking your life while the owners are sitting at home with their families.
“There is nothing that the owners and employers can see on the road because they are at home, they listen to what is said on the radio and TV, but it is us the drivers who can actually see the danger that is on the roads,” Buthelezi said.
Kgomotso Pakkies, who drives for a Bloemfontein-based company, said that his trip from Pietermaritzburg to Joburg came to a stop at about 12pm on Friday due to the protests in Mooi River.
“I was fortunate that my employers told me that if I felt it was safe to continue the journey then I could, but also if I saw that I would be in danger then I should park at the truck stop and wait until it was clear and safe for me to continue with the trip,” Pakkies said.
Political Bureau