Durban - The All Truck Drivers Forum and Allied South Africa say their protest action over the weekend was a success as it impacted the transportation of goods in all key areas.
Speaking to “The Mercury” on Monday, the group’s secretary Sifiso Nyathi said their protest action had brought their plight to the public’s attention.
He said one of the key issues for the protest action was that foreign truck drivers were given preference for employment in the industry. The issue has been raised for the past three years by local driver associations.
“We can say the protest achieved a 70% impact in the industry and we believe that this was a success,” Nyathi said.
He cited the Eastern Cape, the Western Cape and Middleburg in Mpumalanga as the provinces where they had the most impact.
“In KwaZulu-Natal, we managed to stage the action against difficult circumstances where we suspect that our members were intimidated. But the action yielded the results,” Nyathi added.
By Monday afternoon it was not clear whether the protest action would continue as drivers were still having discussions.
“Right now there are those calling for the continuation while some are insisting that the protest should end,” he said.
According to Gavin Kelly, CEO of the Road Freight Association (RFA), while there had been sporadic disturbances on various routes, the police had been quick to respond, ensuring that no violence had occurred.
“At this stage, no huge delays have occurred. There are instances where drivers who do not want to participate have been intimidated or coerced into parking – but again the SAPS have been on scene,” he said on Monday.
He stressed that as the RFA, they believed the right to protest was subject to responsible behaviour by those who protest, expressing hope that any further action would remain peaceful, allowing those who choose to, to continue to keep the country’s logistics supply chain moving.