Truck drivers fear for their lives after six trucks were burned at Van Reenen Pass

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Truck drivers, who were forced to be stationed at truck stations along the N3, say they fear for their lives. This after six trucks were burnt at the Van Reenen Pass in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The attack forced the closure of the N3 highway for about 12 hours.

This driver, who requested anonymity, describes his difficulties: “The problem here is that every time we are on the roads, there are some strikes and also violence on the road.

“The guys on the road they target the truck drivers only. Its either they stop us and they take our things or they just burn the trucks for no reason. So that’s the problem with us truck drivers, and we are experiencing this problem everyday. Always when we are driving like we are feeling like we are not safe on the roads just because of what is happening every week or something. When we saw people on the road we are like getting frightened that maybe they attack us,” the driver explains.

The Road Freight Association says the burning of six trucks on the Van Reenen’s Pass in KwaZulu-Natal is a coordinated attack on the road freight sector.

Earlier, police said they believed that a gang of armed men forced the drivers of the trucks to stop their vehicles which they torched in the early hours of this morning.

The N3 Toll Route remains closed in the affected area.